Aug. 24, 2022, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Additional financial support for students attending Grand Rapids Community College through the Michigan Reconnect and Futures for Frontliners programs is available through the college’s Get Help website.
The Legislature created a $6 million fund to help students in the programs experiencing financial obstacles. GRCC will have over $570,000 to provide to students with a maximum grant amount of$550 for expenses such as child care, internet access, and transportation.
These state grants are available through the “emergency funding” link on GRCC’s grcc.edu/gethelp webpage, which also includes links to college and community resources available to all students.
“The state wraparound support is wonderful and will make a difference for people using Michigan Reconnect and Futures for Frontliners,” said Dr. Kathryn K. Mullins, vice president of College Advancement and executive director of the GRCC Foundation. “So many of our students need that extra help to overcome financial barriers.”
Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II spoke about the new state support program last week at GRCC.
“By working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, we hit a trifecta in our work to put adult learners in Michigan on the path to a brighter future and to provide employers with the highly skilled workers they need to keep and grow their businesses throughout the state,” he said.
The Michigan Reconnect program, launched in February 2021, covers the cost of in-district tuition for students ages 25 and older who have not yet earned a degree. Frontliners was available in 2020 for residents who worked in essential fields during the state’s COVID-19 shutdown.
About 22 percent of GRCC students were using the state programs during the past academic year. The college has enrolled 1,088 Reconnect and 1,1162 Futures for Frontliners students so far for the upcoming fall semester.
GRCC and other eligible institutions can distribute the allocated funds directly to eligible students who have completed at least one semester – with as much as $550 available per student for the academic year.
To be eligible for the state wraparound services grants students must:
- Be Michigan Reconnect or Futures for Frontliners scholarship participants.
- Have completed at least one semester within the respective scholarship program in which they are participating.
- Be enrolled already or be in the process of enrolling for a following qualifying semester.
Students who are not in the Reconnect or Frontliners programs can also access the college’s emergency fund, which was created by GRCC President Emeritus Steven C. Ender in 2009 through employee donations to the Grand Rapids Community College Foundation. It helps students who face emergencies such as losing their job, needing a place to live or having their utilities shut off. The fund has provided nearly $230,000 in grants and loans since 2014, helping a record 211 students last year.
To donate to GRCC’s emergency fund, student food pantry, or scholarship funds, go to grcc.edu/donate.
“We deeply appreciate the assistance from donors who contribute to our Emergency Assistance Fund and scholarships,” Mullins said. “They are changing lives.”