Transformational Partnerships Fund: Grant Programs - Seed Grants

The Transformational Partnerships Fund offers Seed Grants of up to $10,000 to colleges and universities exploring student-centered partnerships. These grants help defray costs associated with events that build consensus among leadership to pursue transformative collaborations. Prioritization is given to institutions serving diverse student populations and those that can demonstrate the potential for significant impact on student outcomes. This initiative focuses on fostering innovative partnerships that enhance institutional effectiveness and student success.

Helping eligible institutions explore student-centered partnerships
The Transformational Partnerships Fund supports colleges and universities interested in exploring partnerships and collaborations that could fundamentally transform the way they operate — centering students in solutions that deliver stability and success.
Seed grants (up to $10,000 per exploration) can be used by single institutions to help defray the costs of preparing to explore a partnership. This will often involve some type of event – usually offsite – which shares information and builds consensus to take action among senior leadership and trustees. A Seed grant does not preclude later applying for a Catalytic grant together with an identified partner.
TPF’s grants support the out-of-pocket, one-time, external costs of exploring of new partnerships; they are not available for allocated internal costs other than in exceptional circumstances.
Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

Eligibility

TPF will prioritize explorations based on the following criteria:One or more of the participating institutions serve a student population that is at least 25 percent persons of color and/or where 40 percent meet the financial criteria for Pell eligibility;
One or more of the participating institutions deem the partnership to be transformational and that, if completed, it would make a material difference to the operations of the institution(s);
The partnership, if completed, is expected to produce materially better outcomes for current and/or future students of the institution(s).Partnership explorations supported by TPF must involve two or more degree-granting institutions of higher education.
These can include private nonprofit colleges, public universities or systems, community colleges, and (in exceptional situations) for-profit institutions.
TPF will only consider supporting the exploration of a partnership involving one academic department (e,g. nursing) if:

• it is the first stage in a broader institutional partnership discussion and/or
• a meaningful number of students (250+) would be involved.
• TPF only supports partnerships pre-dominantly serving undergraduates.

TPF will consider pre-exploration “seed” grants for the membership group to convene participants to explore the level of interest in exploring a proposed standalone partnership.
TPF will also consider the exploration of standalone partnerships whose participants have been introduced by / or are members of such groups

Ineligibility

TFP will not consider grants to single institutions, to support the implementation of partnerships where the decision to proceed has already been made, to expand or restructure existing partnerships, or to support ongoing programs even if they involve two or more institutions.
TPF will not support the exploration of a partnership that extends the activities of a pre-existing multi-institution collaborative/membership group/network.
TPF does not support partnerships involving only faith-serving (in contrast to faith-based) institutions.
TPF does not support partnerships involving institutions located outside the United States.