ICAN Awarded Grant for College Access Initiative
Cedar County Community Foundation Supports Career and College Readiness
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA (June 1, 2021) — The Iowa College Access Network (ICAN) is pleased to announce it has received a grant from the Cedar County Community Foundation to support college and career readiness programming as part of its Student and Educator Support During and Post COVID-19 Initiative.
The Community Foundation of Cedar County is here to help our community's charitable projects and programs contribute to the quality of life in our area. One of the ways that is done is through grantmaking.
The Cedar County initiative will address planning gaps for students due to the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative will offer virtual career planning, college exploration, and financial aid information and resources to the Cedar County communities to close gaps in planning and achievement for students and families. In-person events will be held when possible and in coordination with participating schools. With services provided through ICAN, the initiative hopes to serve more than 2,500 individuals including: students, parents, and educators through a partnership with the high schools in Cedar County.
“The pandemic has created many challenges in many areas. Traditional methods of planning such as campus visits, college fairs, and informational seminars have all be closed, yet time moves forward and families still have to plan and make decisions.” explained Rob Miller, ICAN executive director. “This grant enables virtual, and when possible, in-person planning and advising to take place to ensure students stay on track with their future planning.”
“Education and training beyond high school is necessity for long-term success in the ever-changing job market,” explained Miller. “This grant enables ICAN to continue meeting the needs of Iowa students despite the challenges of a global pandemic.”
ICAN, a nonprofit organization providing career and college readiness planning to students and parents in Iowa, has been educating and empowering Iowa’s future workforce since
1998.
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About ICAN
The Iowa College Access Network is a nonprofit, educational organization. ICAN is the College Access Network for Iowa, and a member of the National College Access
Network (NCAN). ICAN has 10 locations in Ankeny, Cedar Rapids/Hiawatha, Coralville, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Orange City, Sioux City and Waterloo, which provide information and support to students and their families as they plan their postsecondary education and apply for financial aid. All ICAN programs and services are provided without charge. For more information about ICAN, call (877) 272-4692 or visit www.ICANsucceed.org.
About the Cedar County Community Foundation
Founded in 2005, the Community Foundation of Cedar County annually distributes funds from its endowment earnings to numerous area non-profit organizations to fulfill our mission, "To enhance the quality of life in the communities we serve by encouraging permanent charitable giving to meet the needs of present and future generations." The Community Foundation has a broad, flexible purpose providing support to a wide variety of non-profit organizations. Since its inception, the Community Foundation has awarded more than $1 million in Cedar County.