April 13, 2026

Leading the News this Week

As part of National Community College Month, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon visited Nebraska's Southeast Community College and saw  firsthand how community colleges are "preparing students for success in the workforce."   

Read on to learn more about how to participate in Community College Month.

News in Higher Education

April is Community College Month!

In addition to the Departments of Education and Labor, we have seen states all over the country celebrate Community College Month. Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Michigan, Nevada, and Ohio have all proclaimed April as community college month, and the list is only growing.

This is a time to reach out and remind your elected officials why community colleges matter, how your college is serving your community's needs today, and why public support for our colleges is more important than ever, thus meriting the 2026 #CCMonth theme "The Smartest First Step, the Strongest Next Step." Check out ACCT's Community College Month toolkit to help you uplift community colleges all month long! If any members of Congress visit your community college or celebrate Community College Month, please email publicpolicy@acct.org, and we can help uplift the event.

ED Starts Rulemaking to Change Accreditation This Week

The Department of Education (ED) has begun session one out of two of the negotiated rulemaking process to revise the rules surrounding accreditation, which is required for institutions to receive federal student aid. As such, it has assembled the Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization (AIM) Committee, which includes Monty Sullivan, president emeritus of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, as one of the primary negotiators.  Here are some of the things ED is proposing in these negotiation sessions:

• Make it easier for new accreditors to gain recognition.
• Prohibit colleges and universities from engaging in preferential treatment, hiring, and promotion based on protected characteristics.
• Limit accrediting agencies' role to advisory only: thus, they would not be able to opine on institutional governance decisions. 
• Require accreditors to establish a set of standards for student achievement.
• Make college costs a factor considered in the accreditation process. 

After the two negotiation sessions have concluded, the final proposal will be subject to public comment. 

Workforce Bill Fact Sheet

On April 6, the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee released the Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026, a bill to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) job training law. The party-line Republican bill would: 

• Provide long-term authorization for the Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants (SCCTG) program at current levels of $65 million per year. 
•  Allow providers of apprenticeships and Workforce Pell programs to automatically be included on the eligible training services providers list.
• Permanently move Adult Education to the U.S. Department of Labor. 
• Created the Make America Skilled Again block grant, which would let states apply to consolidate their existing Adult, Youth, and Dislocated Worker funding streams into one grant.

Here is a fact sheet outlining the top provisions of interest to community colleges.

Deadlines this week! Email Your Two U.S. Senators to Support Pell Grants and Key Funding for Community Colleges!

Thanks to your advocacy, the U.S. House had a record number of both Republican and Democratic signers on letters supporting Pell Grant funding in the annual spending process for fiscal year 2027 (FY27). This will be critical, as the Pell Grant program is facing an expected $17 billion shortfall in FY27, and Congress must provide additional funding to maintain this critical grant for low-income students. See ACCT’s statement on Democrats and Republicans showing support for the Pell Grant in record numbers here.

Now, let's repeat the same results in the U.S. Senate!

**Click here to email your U.S. Senators**

Urge them to support Pell Grants, Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants (SCCTG), Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS), and Adult Basic Education (ABE).

Key deadlines for senators to sign:

• Wednesday, April 15: Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) - Join the bipartisan letter with Senator Tammy Duckworth.
• Friday, April 17: Pell Grants — Join the bipartisan letter by Senators Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) to continue funding Pell Grant.
• Friday, April 17: Adult Basic Education — Join the bipartisan letter by Senators Todd Young (R-IN) and Jack Reed (D-RI) to increase funding of the Adult Basic Education program to $810 million.
• Monday, April 20: Pell Grants —  Join the FY 2027 letter by Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Jack Reed (D-RI) to increase funding for Pell without making cuts to Pell eligibility.

For more background, view ACCT's FY27 Appropriations Resources

Here are useful tools to further assist in the appropriations process. 

• ACCT's FY 2027 Earmarks and Funding Request Tutorial and Slides (Member Restricted)
• ACCT's FY 2025 Earmarks Webinar and Slides (Member Restricted)

Grant Opportunities

Please review the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education's Community College webpage for other grants community colleges are eligible for. These below are the top highlights:

TRIO Talent Search Program Grant

Institutions of higher education, such as community colleges, non-profits, and – with new emphasis in the FY26 funding cycle, state governments -- leverage the Talent Search Program to assist K-12 students from a disadvantaged background pursue and succeed in postsecondary education and job training opportunities. New this year: state agency applicants can earn 5 competitive preference points and larger awards. The program also focuses more this year on workforce development. The closing date for this grant competition is May 1, 20226 11:59 PM ET.

TRIO Education Opportunity Centers Program (EOC)

DOL, on behalf of the Department of Education, announced the grant competition for the TRIO Education Opportunity Centers (EOC) program. This program provides counseling and information on college admissions to qualified adults who want to enter or continue a program of postsecondary education. The EOC program also guides participants on financial aid options, including basic financial planning skills, and assists in the application process. New this year: state agency applicants can earn 5 competitive preference points and larger awards. The program also focuses more this year on workforce development. The closing date for this grant opportunity is May 14, 2026, at 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.

• April 14 FAFSA Form 2027-28 comment period closes
• April 28, 1 PM ET Webinar: Preparing for Workforce Pell - What Community College Leaders Need to Know Now
• May 1, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• May 1, 11:59 PM ET TRIO Talent Search Program Grant Closes
• May 14, 11:59 PM ET TRIO Education Opportunity Centers Program Grant Closes
• 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. 

For more community college news from inside the beltway, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, or like us Facebook.