March 12, 2026

Leading the News this Week

This year, the U.S. House has a much shorter window to submit funding requests for critical programs supporting community colleges. Some members of Congress have deadlines as early as this Friday, March 13th!

Read on to the next section for additional information on how you can take action.

News in Higher Education

Can you help protect Pell Grants and Community College Funding?

There's a quick and easy step you can take TODAY

Contact your college's members of Congress and urge them to sign the Group Letters to support Pell Grants, Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants (SCCTG), and Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS).

**Click here to email your member of Congress**

With deadlines beginning March 13, the U.S. House has a very short timeline to sign these Dear Colleague Letters.

Visit ACCT.org for ACCT's FY27 Appropriations Resources

The Trump Administration's Latest Anti-DEI Action

The General Services Administration (GSA), the federal agency that manages federal property and provides contracting options to other federal agencies,  opened public comments for its proposal to have government contractors and grant recipients certify that they are not participating in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices, which include race-based scholarships or programs, cultural competency requirements, diversity statements, overcoming obstacles narratives, and training programs that create a hostile environment. In addition, recipients of federal funds must certify that they are not knowingly hiring undocumented immigrants. The deadline to submit public comments is March 30, 2026.

Grant Opportunities

Please review the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education's Community College webpage for new grants community colleges are eligible for.

Strengthening Community College Training Grants

In this 6th round, the objective of  the Strengthening Community College Training Grant (SCCTG) competitionis to fund community colleges aiming to build "program and system capacity for implementing and scaling access to short-term training opportunities through Workforce Pell Grants—i.e., promoting industry-driven strategies, worker mobility, and integration with the larger state workforce system (e.g., Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) partners) for statewide impact."  

The closing date for this grant opportunity is May 20, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET.

• March 20, 6:00 PM LHHS Programmatic and Language and Community Project Funding Request Deadline
• March 30, 11:59 PM ET Public comment period closes for the proposed revision on certifications that recipients of federal funding must submit.
• April 3, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• April 8 Public Comment Period Closes for AHEAD (Workforce Pell)
• April 14 FAFSA Form 2027-28 comment period closes
• May 1, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• May 20, 11:59 PM ET. Strengthening Community College Training Grant Closes
• June 5, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• July 10, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• August 7, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• September 4, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• October 2, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live 
• October 21-24 ACCT Leadership Congress
• November 6, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live 
• December 4, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live

Outreach Efforts

Is your institution meeting or hosting an event with federal elected officials?

We created a Congressional Contact Form that will help us track outreach efforts of community college leaders across our membership. By filling out the form, you are better informing ACCT's advocacy efforts and our advocacy team is able to continue those conversations with congressional staff in DC. 

ACCT NOW is the go-to resource for issues affecting community colleges. Our new website features original reporting and research, as well as of-the-moment legislative updates. ACCT NOW also includes articles, reports, and research from outside sources that benefit the ACCT community. Read the Latest Articles on ACCT NOW:

Would you Like a Federal Update Session for Your Team?

Both this new presidential administration and new Congress have brought with them a flurry of developments in the federal landscape that can make keeping up a monumental task. ACCT's Government Relations team is here to help by offering a 45-minute to an-hour federal update session to community college leadership teams who are ACCT members. To request a session, fill out this form and please email publicpolicy@acct.org with any questions.

Have a Question?

Contact us with any questions or concerns about public policy and ACCT's advocacy on behalf of two-year colleges and two-year college trustees. ACCT's Latest Action in Washington alerts are sent to interested ACCT members to keep you up to date on important legislative activities that impact community colleges.

If you no longer wish to receive ACCT's Latest Action in Washington alerts, reply to this email with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. For more information about ACCT's advocacy services, visit acct.org/advocacy

Spread the Word.

Please encourage your fellow trustees, presidents and colleagues to stay up to date about legislation that affects their community colleges by joining the Latest Action in Washington (LAW) Alert network. To join, simply register here. 

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