March 16, 2026

Leading the News this Week

Due to the FAFSA Simplification Act of 2020 finally working as Congress intended, more students are eligible for Pell Grants. Unfortunately, the Pell Grant program will face a shortfall of $17 billion by next year unless Congress acts to shore up the program. Reach out to your college's members of Congress to urge them to protect Pell Grants.

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**

New Deadlines: In good news, the U.S. House has extended key deadlines for members of Congress to sign onto group letters supporting key priorities:

• Pell Grants: Republican letter supporting robust funding for Pell Grants and campus-based aid. Deadline extended: Tuesday, March 24, COB (5 p.m. E.T.)
• Pell Grants: Democratic letter to double the Pell Grant maximum: Deadline extended to Tuesday, March 26, COB. 
• Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS): Deadline extended to Wednesday, March 25, COB.
• Strengthening Community College Training Grants (SCCTG): Deadline extended to Thursday, March 26, 12 p.m. ET.
• Final submission deadline for all programmatic and earmark requests in Labor-HHS-Education to the Appropriations Committee: Deadline extended to Friday, March 27, 6 p.m. ET. Reach out to your college's members of Congress for the latest on their internal deadlines.

For more background, view ACCT's FY27 Appropriations Resources

Workforce Futures Accelerator: Embedding Real-World Employer Projects in Community Colleges

ACCT is excited to announce its newest project, the Workforce Futures Accelerator: Embedding Real-World Employer Projects in Community Colleges!

In partnership with Riipen and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), this three-year initiative will select and work with 20 community colleges to address this gap by embedding project-based, virtual work-based learning experiences within short-term workforce programs.

ACCT will equip instructors with the tools, support, and expertise to integrate experiential learning that meets both the needs of students and the demands of employers. By offering a flexible, scalable solution, this project aims to enhance career outcomes, particularly for underserved student populations, while ensuring that participating colleges can sustain these programs long after the initiative concludes. ACCT is actively recruiting its cohort for this project. Register here for an informational webinar on Wednesday, March 18 at 1 p.m. E.T. The deadline for colleges to complete the application is April 1, 2026 11:59p.m. P.T. 

B.A.-Granting Colleges Must Submit Race and Gender Data to ED by March 25th

The Department of Education (ED) is requiring B.A.-granting colleges (including some community colleges) to submit enrollment data focusing on race, gender, GPA, and test scores spanning back six years. ED's stated goal is to determine whether colleges and universities are discriminating against applicants based on race. Seventeen state attorneys general filed a lawsuit, asserting that this rushed mandate is burdensome on institutions and that submitted data will be riddled with inconsistencies. As such, they are asking the court to rule ED's data collection as unlawful and block it.  U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Massachusetts extended the data submission deadline to March 25th, from March 18th. The purpose of this extension is to give the District Court of Massachusetts time to review. 

Grant Opportunities

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

DOL Aims to Award "Pay for Performance" Grant Pilot

At the start of the Trump administration, the Department of Labor (DOL) committed to reaching 1 million active apprenticeships. As part of the administration's agenda, DOL's Employment and Training Administration announced the Pay-for-Performance Incentive Payments Program, which focuses on incentivizing the growth of the National Apprenticeship System in these select industries: Shipbuilding and Defense Industrial Base; Artificial Intelligence (AI), Semiconductor, and Nuclear Energy Infrastructure; Information Technology; Healthcare; Transportation; and Telecommunication. For more information, click here. The deadline for this grant is April 3, 2026, 11:59 PM ET.

Strengthening Community College Training Grants

In this 6th round, the objective of  the Strengthening Community College Training Grant (SCCTG) competition is 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 18, 1 PM ET Informational Webinar on the Workforce Futures Accelerator: Embedding Real-World Employer Projects in Community Colleges
• March 24, 5 PM ET  Pell Grants: Deadline for U.S. House Republicans to sign letter supporting robust funding for Pell Grants and campus-based aid. 
• March 25, 5 PM ET Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS): Deadline to sign on to letter to support CCAMPIS funding
• March 26, 12 PM ET Strengthening Community College Training Grants (SCCTG): Deadline to sign on letter to support SCCTG
• March 26, 5 PM ET Pell Grants: Deadline for U.S. House Democrats to sign letter to double the Pell Grant maximum
• March 27, 6:00 PM - Deadline for U.S. House Members to Submit Final Requests to Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee
• March 30, 11:59 PM ET Public comment period closes for the proposed revision on certifications that recipients of federal funding must submit.
• April 1, 11:59 PM PT The Workforce Futures Accelerator: Embedding Real-World Employer Projects in Community Colleges Application Deadline
• April 3, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• April 3, 11:59 PM ET DOL "Pay for Performance" Registered Apprenticeship Grant Due
• 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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