Takeoff: Institutional Innovations for College Men of Color

Overview

Takeoff: Institutional Innovations for College Men of Color is a project led by the USC Race and Equity Center to fund and provide technical support to 12 community colleges nationwide that are advancing initiatives to support men of color on their campuses. This project is made possible by the support from ECMC Foundation and is a part of their broader $20 million commitment to transform the higher education experiences for Black, Latinx, Southeast Asian and Native American men. ECMC Foundation’s Men of Color Initiative aims to increase degree attainment by doing the following:

* Developing new programs for men of color and strengthening the effectiveness of existing programs on college campuses.
* Addressing structural and systemic factors at the campus and systems levels related to the intersection of racial, ethnic and gender inequities.
* Building and expanding networks and partnerships to support men of color across various college campuses.

Eligibility

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Application Details

Request for Proposal
Institutional Transformations for College Men of Color
Applications due April 10th at 11:59 PM PST, 2023

Table of Contents
Background ..................................................................................................................................... 3
About this Project ........................................................................................................................... 4
Eligibility and Selection Criteria .................................................................................................... 5
Grantee Expectations ...................................................................................................................... 6
Values and Principles Developed through Project Takeoff ............................................................ 7
Submission Instructions .................................................................................................................. 8
Key Dates and Timeline.................................................................................................................. 9
Questions....................................................................................................................................... 10

Background
Takeoff: A Men of Color Innovation is a project led by the USC Race and Equity Center to fund
and provide technical support to 12 community colleges nationwide that are advancing initiatives
that support, retain and graduate men of color on their campuses. This project is made possible
by support from ECMC Foundation and is a part of their broader $20 million commitment to
transform higher education experiences for Black, Latinx, Southeast Asian and Native American
men in the U.S. ECMC Foundation’s Men of Color Initiative aims to increase degree attainment
by doing the following:
● Developing new programs for men of color and strengthening the effectiveness of
existing programs on college campuses.
● Addressing structural and systemic factors at the campus and systems levels related to the
intersection of racial, ethnic and gender inequities.
● Building and expanding networks and partnerships to support men of color across various
college campuses.
Nationwide, over half of community college enrollments are students of color. Male student
postsecondary outcomes are considerably low despite making up 40 percent of community
college enrollments. For example, less than 30 percent of men of color complete degree
programs within three years in their first community college (2017-2020). Graduation rates of
bachelor’s degrees are dismal, with Black (34.3%), Latinx (49.2%), Pacific Islander (48.2%),
and Indigenous/Alaska Native (38.%) students completing at very low rates within 6 years. The
idea that students complete college within a reasonable time, or at all, is simply inaccurate. Our
emphasis on supporting men of color is an explicit response to unacceptably low higher
education outcomes for this population.
Community colleges are the primary entry point to higher education for many students, including
students impacted by the justice system, former foster youth, undocumented and low-income
students, as well as student parents. Our projects’ focus on this sector of higher education and
men of color specifically is integral to supporting colleges that are leading innovative, scalable
and replicable models of success.
Takeoff: A Men of Color Innovation will provide funding to transform 12 community colleges as
they pilot, implement and scale innovative efforts to support, retain and graduate men of color on
campus. Outcomes for this project should focus on institutional-level changes (e.g., institutional
beliefs and cultures, policies and practices, resource allocation, hiring, etc.). One of the goals of
the initiative is to create a body of evidence on how institutions can remove postsecondary
barriers to completion for this student population. Each college selected will receive a grant to
support their men of color initiative, attend an in-person convening to develop a comprehensive
plan, receive an individualized coach, have monthly access to a professional learning series, and
online 24/7 access to a virtual resource and community practice portal.

About this Project
The project Takeoff: A Men of Color Innovation invites community colleges nationwide to
submit proposals for one of twelve opportunities. Through this initiative, the USC Race and
Equity Center will subgrant and provide technical support to colleges leading innovations that
advance postsecondary outcomes for men of color.
Colleges represented by a team of six campus leaders will take part in the following:
1. Grant Award – Each participating college selected will receive $75,000 to fund existing
or aspiring efforts to support, retain and graduate men of color over the course of two
academic years (AY 23-24 and AY 24-25)
2. In-Person Kickoff Convening – Each college team will be invited to participate in an
intensive three-day, in-person kickoff convening in the fall to get everyone aligned on
organizational change strategies, masculinities, racial equity for student success,
evaluation plans for the initiative, and other topics. The kickoff convening site will be
hosted at USC’s campus in Los Angeles. We would spend a portion of the kickoff
agreeing on standards that will govern our collective work across campuses.
Additionally, teams will begin designing plans to improve the success of men of color at
their institutions. Project plans will include the following components: design,
implementation, resourcing, accountability, communication, sustainability, evaluation,
and institutionalization. Each plan will serve as a blueprint for campus teams to improve
men of color academic success at their colleges over the course of two academic years
(AY23-24 and AY24-25). Team members will have travel and lodging costs covered as a
part of this project.
3. Three Virtual eConvenings – The center will convene teams from the 12 colleges three
times via Zoom to make space for them to learn from each other’s successes; seek
feedback and advice from peers; help each other solve problems that are stifling progress;
and determine ways to collectively communicate the effectiveness of ECMC
Foundation’s men of color initiative. We are doing these eConvenings to intentionally
sustain momentum and accountability as the project progresses.
4. Professional Learning Series – The center will deliver an eight-session curriculum
focused on racial equity academic success for community college men of color. The
sessions will take place monthly, between September 2023 through April 2024. They will
be open to every full-time and part-time employee (including adjunct instructors) at the
12 participating colleges. High attendance from employees at participating colleges is
essential. The topics will include strategic, evidence-based, and campus-wide
interventions that can achieve success for men of color. The goal of the series will be to

build knowledge and skills required to create sustainable conditions that lead to increased
rates of success among community college men of color.
5. Coaching – The Race and Equity Center will assemble a cadre of coaches who are
experts on men of color in higher education. Each team at the 12 participating institutions
will be matched with its own individual coach to support the success of their initiative.
Coaches will represent a range of racial/ethnic backgrounds; have either worked or
extensively served multiple community colleges; and have outstanding reputations for
rigorously translating theories and research into practice. Minimally, coaches will meet
monthly with their teams. They also will review and provide feedback on student success
plans and other documents; be available for meetings and consultations with individual
team members; help teams get unstuck when they encounter hurdles; and furnish useful
resources that have been proven effective elsewhere.
6. Equity Connect – Every full-time and part-time employee (including adjunct instructors)
at each of the 12 participating community colleges will have access to Equity Connect, a
virtual resource and engagement platform, to increase their use of valuable resources and
professional relationships that ultimately help them better serve community college men
of color. Equity Connect houses materials from the center’s monthly professional
learning sessions, as well as other downloadable racial equity resources (videos, reports,
syllabus review rubrics, case studies, slide decks, conversation guides, etc.). In addition
to the searchable resource library, professionals are able to create virtual communities of
practice through the platform. This allows them to pose questions and problems of
practice, seek and give advice, share helpful resources, and build community with
colleagues who perform similar roles on other campuses.
7. Data Collection and Sharing -- An external evaluation team will partner with
community colleges, USC Race and Equity Center, and the ECMC Foundation to
document implementation and outcomes of Takeoff: Institutional Innovations for College
Men of Color. Throughout the evaluation, you may be asked to track and share de-
identified student data and to participate in interviews, surveys, site visits, or other data
collection activities to help the evaluation team learn from your work. To help inform
your work, the evaluation team will also share emerging findings with your team of
campus leaders on a regular basis.
Eligibility and Selection Criteria
Any community college with a demonstrated commitment and plan to advancing student success
for men of color on their campus is eligible to submit a proposal. Only one application per
college will be considered and accepted. A team from the USC Race and Equity Center will
evaluate all submitted proposals using the following criteria.
● Feasibility of the proposed efforts. Existing and future efforts must be achievable within
the timeframe of this project.

● Focus on men of color. Although proposals submitted can inevitably advance equitable
outcomes more broadly, the proposed efforts must be laser-focused on advancing the
success of men of color. Men of color have multiple intersectional identities with various
forms of marginalization. Proposals should be clear about the identities and issues they
intend to prioritize.
● Approaching the work with key values. Ability to articulate the values guiding the
proposed project.
● Innovative ways to advance success. The proposed efforts must be a novel and different
approach on your campus to ensure success for men of color.
Grantee Expectations
For a two-year duration, there are components required of institutions, if selected, that are
essential to the success of this project. These items are listed below:
● Participation in an in-person kickoff convening in August 2023. College teams must
commit to attending an in-person kickoff in Los Angeles. Participation is critical to
getting everyone on the same page, developing each team’s project plan, and having face-
to-face time with their coaches.
● Participation in virtual eConvenings. Team participation in at least three virtual
meetings is essential to maintain progress, coordinate support, and ensure accountability
as the project moves forward.
● College participation in professional learning series. The project manager in addition to
the campus team will be required to promote dissemination and enrollment of broader
campus community as part of the professional learning series. Wide participation of the
campus community is needed to ensure project success.
● Engagement with assigned coaches. Each college team will be required to meet on a
monthly basis with its assigned coach. A strong relationship with coaches is necessary to
ensure robust strategizing throughout the project.
● Enrollment support for Equity Connect. The project manager in addition to the campus
team will be responsible for supporting wide enrollment and participation of campus
colleagues on Equity Connect.
● Evaluation participation. Campus teams will be required to participate in a third party
evaluation that seeks to understand implementation and outcomes of the overall project,
Takeoff: Institutional Innovations for College Men of Color, as well as the efforts led by
the 12 participating community colleges. This means colleges must have the willingness
to collect and share institutional data with the external evaluation team and to participate
in other data collection activities (e.g., interviews, surveys, site visits).
● Evaluation results are intended to support ongoing learning and improvement among the
12 community colleges, USC, and ECMC Foundation, as well as to provide lessons to
the broader field of community colleges and other organizations serving men of color.
The evaluation design will be participatory in nature and provide opportunities for the

selected campus teams to inform the evaluation questions and data collection plans, co-
interpret data, and engage students in the evaluation process.
● Assembly of a six member team. Each selected college will be required to comprise a
six-member team who will represent the campus in this initiative and serve as the main
points of contact with coaches, eConvenings, and the in-person kickoff session. One
project manager should be assigned to coordinate with the entire team. Four of the six
team members should be comprised of the following:
○ Student Affairs/Services
○ Institutional research/effectiveness
○ Instructional or Counseling Faculty Advisor
○ Student Leader
If some of these positions are unavailable, it is advised that the college makes every effort
to include a team member who most similarly resembles the desired participants.
Selecting the final two members of the team will be left up to the discretion of each
college. Some suggested options include executive leaders, community leaders, or a
person responsible for overseeing equity efforts. In the final submission, please indicate
the project manager of the team. This person will be responsible for compiling all
communication to and from the Race and Equity Center, the college’s coach, and any
other activity related to this engagement.
● Outline clear measurable outcomes. Each proposal should describe the intended
outcomes and indicators of success (e.g., sense of belonging, term-to-term persistence,
course completion, employee knowledge and skills, etc.).
Values and Principles Developed through Project Takeoff
Use of Evidence: Synthesizing and using existing evidence to address racial inequities for men
of color. To do so is to resist imprecise, generic considerations of diversity and inclusion, to
focus on population-specific challenges undergirded by data.
Avoiding Anti-deficit Framing: Refusing to engage in one-sided conversations that position
people of color and their communities as problems. Instead, the idea is to focus on understanding
and describing ways that institutions can fix policies and practices that affect students,
particularly those that impact men of color. Challenge readers to see and honor the beauty, light,
resilience, resistance, hope, joy, peace, possibility, thriving, excellence, and love that exists
among men of color and within their families and communities.
Interdisciplinarity: Understanding the interconnectedness of systems and conditions that work
together to support and cyclically disadvantage men of color – recognizing, for example, that
inequities in education and health are inextricably linked.

Intersectionality: Recognizing how race intersects with citizenship and documentary status,
socioeconomic status, sexuality, language, (dis)ability, religion, and a range of identities that
men of color possess and perform.
Structural, Systemic, and Policy Change: Working to dismantle systems of disadvantage and
institutionalized racism by strategically using research on men of color to inform policy and
structural change among postsecondary institutions.
Submission Instructions
To gather a strong pool of applicants and respect their time, we have structured this opportunity
into three parts. After providing contact and general information as part of the application, the
core submission requires written responses to parts A, B, and C [part C is only completed if
invited to the finalist stage] described below. The quality, thoughtfulness and intentionality of
the three parts below will be most important for the selection process.
Part A
In 500 words or less, please describe the current challenges facing men of color on your campus,
including any relevant details about the regional and local community surrounding campus and
the historical context. In your response, please help us understand this student population and
the existing efforts to support, retain and graduate them, including current men of color
programs, social groups, and supportive spaces on campus.
(Additional self-assessment data/baseline evidence on the state of men of color at the college will
be requested from the finalists prior to the interview)
Part B
In 1000 words or less, please describe how the $75,000 grant will provide the opportunity to
take a novel and innovative approach on your campus to improve equitable outcomes for men of
color on your campus. In your response:
● Please explain how your innovation will align with or build upon other campus-wide
institutional change efforts. If your proposed innovation expands on an existing pilot
program, please describe how you intend to scale this program to transform your
institution for the success of men of color.
● Describe how your idea is aligned with the values and principles of the Takeoff project.
● Describe the key campus constituents and/or community members you envision being on
the working team and why? How are these members best positioned to ensure the success
of your proposal? How will this team collaborate to focus on institutional
transformation?
Part C [If invited to the finalist stage]

In 500 words or less, describe your desired outcomes and institution’s capacity to collect and
manage data and participate in the evaluation. What are the desired outcomes that you hope to
achieve as described in part B? What are the indicators of success and how will you measure
them?
● We would like to understand if or where you may need support to strengthen data
capacity.
● Is there a specific person or team of people dedicated to managing your institution’s
data? What, if any, challenges would you have in collecting data?
● Describe what you hope to learn from participating in the evaluation component of this
project. How could the final evaluation of this initiative best support the proposed work
that you described in Part B?
Key Dates and Timeline
❖ March 6th: National information sessions to discuss questions
❖ March 7th: RFP submissions enabled on website
❖ April 10th: Application submission close at 11:59 PM
❖ Weeks of April 24th and May 1st: Interview process with members of USC Race and
Equity Center staff
➢ Expand on responses from RFP
➢ Data showing necessity of initiative
➢ Detailed discussion on overall wellbeing of men of color on campus
❖ May 15th: 12 finalists will be notified followed by a national announcement
❖ Week of June 5th: Half-day orientation for 12 coaches who have been selected to
support participating colleges
❖ Mid-June: Virtual orientation for 12 community college teams
➢ Meet and greet
➢ Introduced to coach
➢ Walked through Equity Connect resource
➢ Discuss in-person kickoff

❖ August 7-9th: 12 community college teams will convene in Los Angeles for a three-day
kickoff meeting
Questions
Wilmon A. Christian III, EdD - Director of Workplace Equity, USC Race and Equity Center
Wilmonac@rossier.usc.edu