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Local College & Career Access Networks (LCANs) aim to increase college attainment using a framework known as Collective Impact. The Bureau of Iowa College Aid provides grant money to fund an LCAN Coordinator, travel, training, and other costs associated with creating the network and carrying out LCAN initiatives.
Each LCAN assesses the assets and needs of its community and works to fill the gaps in partnership with local colleges, school districts, area education agencies, business groups, elected officials, employers and community, and religious organizations. LCANs identify multiple community goals that focus on increasing college attainment.
Back to topFY26 LCAN Grant Calendar
Dates | Activity |
---|---|
Jan. 28 - Feb. 28 | Accepting applications from new communities |
Feb. 6 | Informational meeting for new applicants |
March 3 - April 1 | New applicant grant review |
April 1 | Initiate internal contract process |
June 1 | FY26 budget and certifications/agreement due from returning LCANs |
July 1 | Start of FY26 grant contract period |
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Virtual Presentation Library
LCAN and Collective Impact in Iowa - Feb. 22, 2022
LCAN Coordinator Gathering Recordings - Oct. 14, 2021
A Framework for the Future: Raising College Attainment Through Collective Impact - Jan. 28, 2021
Iowa LCAN Year 1 Grant Application Workshop - Feb. 25, 2021 (Watch A Framework for the Future, first.
Back to topKey Partners
The Iowa Department of Education's Bureau of Iowa College Aid works with communities across the state to address workforce needs and increase educational attainment through the Local College & Career Access Network (LCAN) grant series. Iowa College Aid provides consultation and funding to select Iowa networks, using the Collective Impact framework to increase college attainment at the local and statewide level.
- Community colleges
- Area private colleges
- PK-12 school districts
- Area education agencies
- Chambers of commerce
- Community action agencies
- Community foundations
- County or city elected officials
- Economic development agencies
- Traditionally underserved communities/populations
- Faith communities
- Major employers
- Nonprofit organizations
- Public libraries
- Service organizations
- Workforce development agencies
- Sector boards
Iowa LCANs
Year I
- Attendance Counts
(Allamakee, Clayton, Dubuque, Jackson counties)
Year III
- Math Pathways to Success (statewide)
Year IV
Brother to Brother
Future Ready Perry
Sustaining Grant
- AIM (Muscatine County)
- Black Hawk CAN
- Latinos CAN* (Des Moines)
- OPT-In CAN* (Des Moines)
- Story County CAN
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LCAN Grant Series
Iowa College Aid offers a four-year series of grants to Iowa communities to build Local College & Career Access Networks using the Collective Impact framework. The LCAN grant series is intended as seed funding for locally driven collaborative measures. Iowa College Aid also welcomes applications from initiatives that are focused on serving a specific population within Iowa. Sustainability of LCANs and their initiatives should be considered beginning in the exploratory phase of the grant process and will be addressed throughout the grant series. View Grants-at-a-Glance 3.0 for a high-level view of what the grant funds; funding amounts and match requirements by year; grant deliverables for each year, and a summary of how each year progresses, building on the previous year.
For more information on Collective Impact or the LCAN Grant series, contact Anne Thomas or Megan Sibbel.
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Resources
Collective Impact Theory and Research Resources
- “Collective Impact” – Stanford Social Innovation Review, Winter 2011
- “Channeling Change – Making Collective Impact Work” – Stanford Social Innovation Review, 2012
- “Embracing Emergence: How Collective Impact Addresses Complexity” – Stanford Social Innovation Review, 2013
- “Collective Impact 3.0: An evolving framework for community change” – Mark Cabaj and Liz Weaver, 2016
- Centering Equity in Collective Impact
- Data in Collective Impact: Focusing on What Matters Using Data to Disrupt Systemic Inequality
Partner Resources
- Michigan College Access Network’s “Charting the Course: A community’s guide for increasing educational attainment through the lens of collective impact
” - Florida College Access Network’s resource page
Postsecondary Data
Iowa College Aid LCAN Data
- FAFSA Over Time by County
- FAFSA Filing Over Time by the Numbers
- High School FAFSA Rates
- County-Level Educational Attainment by Race
- LCAN Student Success Metrics
- Iowa Unemployment by County