Access & Diversity Grants
The Access & Diversity (A&D) grant program was initially established in 2008 to provide for continued implementation of initiatives to eliminate barriers to post-secondary access and diversity. In 2010 the program scope was broadened to include a focus on student success and completion to align with the Complete College Act of 2010 and the Drive to 55.
The program focuses on initiatives to increase success rates for traditionally underserved groups of students and employees. Historically these groups include, but are not limited to Black, Hispanic/LatinX employees and students, as well as low-income/Pell-eligible, and adult students.
The funds are available as block grants for student financial assistance, student recruitment and retention, faculty/staff recruitment and retention, and specific program administration costs. Institutions can also apply for additional funds through the A&D Competitive grant application process.
Access & Diversity Competitive Grant Program
Grant Opportunities Now Closed
Upcoming Grant Opportunities
The SERS grant cycle for 2023-2024 will be delayed due to the potential implementation of a new grant software system.
Programs Currently Funded
Student Engagement, Retention, and Success (SERS) Grants (July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023)
| Institution | Title | Grantee Email |
| Austin Peay State University | Increasing College Readiness and Decreasing Summer Melt: The Greater Together Bridge Program | Meagan Mann |
| Columbia State Community College | Creation of a Student-Focused Community of Practice (CoP) | Patrick McElhiney |
| East Tennessee State University | 2022-2023 Student, Engagement, Retention, and Success | Michele Williams |
| Middle Tennessee State University | Increasing Success and Retention of Female Students in Computer Science by Enhancing Two Key factors: Math Proficiency and Programming Skills | Yi Gu |
| Nashville State Community College | Supplemental Instruction Leaders | Justina Rogers |
| Nashville State Community College | Falcons SOAR Program at Nashville State | Kelsey Johansen |
| Northeast State Community College | BEARs Academy | Tongai Maodzwa |
| Northeast State Community College | Empowering English Learners | Linda Calvert |
| Pellissippi State Community College | Pellissippi State Community College and Northeast State Community College Leveraging Cross-Collaborative Learning Circles for Student Engagement | Antija Allen |
| Pellissippi State Community College | Student-Initiated Transitions Program Pilot | Terry Gibson, Jr. |
| Pellissippi State Community College | The SPIKE Academy (Strawberry Plains Increases Knowledge and Engagement) | Mike North |
| Southwest Tennessee Community College | MOMS (Meaningful Opportunities for Mothers at Southwest) | Suzanne Gibson |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology Jackson | Partnership for Academic Student Service Support (PASS) | Kati Thomas Steele |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology Nashville | Addressing Equity and Access: Removing Barriers to Dual Enrollment | Nathan Garrett |
| Tennessee State University | Professional Examination Preparation (PrEP) | Triba Gary-Davis |
| Tennessee State University | Design and Implementation of Math-Physics-Engineering Bridge Modules for minority undergraduates in Civil and Architectural Engineering | Ranganathan Parthasarathy |
| Tennessee Technological University | Podcasting: Building Community Through Storytelling | Mike Gotcher |
| Tennessee Technological University | Restart with Tech Student Engagement, Retention and Success (SERS) Grant | Delia Manginelli |
| Tennessee Technological University | Reinforce Advanced Math Placement (RAMP) Program to Improve Success in Engineering | Kumar Yelamarthi |
TN Open Educational Resources Grants (July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023)
| Institution | Title | Grantee Email |
| Chattanooga State Community College | Math 1530-OER and OEP Grant | Jeff Lemon |
| Chattanooga State Community College | ENGL 1010 and 0900 OER-OEP Grant | Jeff Lemon |
| Chattanooga State Community College | SOCI 1010-Introduction to Sociology-OEP Grant | Jeff Lemon |
| Columbia State Community College | Columbia State Community College: ENGL 1020 - English Composition II (Tier 2b) | J McElhiney |
| East Tennessee State University | CAD OER to Enhance Equity in Access | Mohammad Uddin |
| East Tennessee State University | Creating an Engaging and Inclusive Classroom through OER and OEP: World History Since 1500 | Constanze Weise |
| Middle Tennessee State University | Laying the Foundation and Opening the Gateway for Teacher Preparation Through Open Educational Resources and Practices at MTSU's College of Education | Angela Hooser |
| Middle Tennessee State University | Let's Write Together!: Creating Open Educational Resources (OERs) and Integrating Open Educational Practices (OEP) into First-Year Writing at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) | Erica Stone |
| Middle Tennessee State University | OEP in Public Speaking: Learning from Students' Stories | Natalie Hoskins |
| Nashville State Community College | COMM 2025 OER Grant 2022-2023 | Amy Bryant |
| Northeast State Community College | OER for Introduction to Philosophy (PHIL 1030) | Adriel Slaughter |
| Pellissippi State Community College | BUSN 2395-Business Applications | Amy Caponetti |
| Pellissippi State Community College | CHEM 1110-General Chemistry I | Barbara Veith |
| Pellissippi State Community College | POLS 1010-Introduction to Political Science | Jesse Cragwall |
| Roane State Community College | OER for MATH 1130 | Shelley Esquivel |
| Southwest Tennessee Community College | MUS 1030 Introduction to Music OER | Charles Pender |
| Southwest Tennessee Community College | Ensuring Equity in Elementary Spanish via culturally relevant OER materials | Dustin Williams |
| Southwest Tennessee Community College | PSYC 2130- Lifespan Development Psychology OER | Sherria King |
| Southwest Tennessee Community College | HLTH1050 Personal Health Tier 1 2022-2023 Open Educational Resources Grant | Shirley Stewart |
| Southwest Tennessee Community College | Culturally Responsive Learning Modules for ENGL1020: Composition II | Adam Sneed |
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology Knoxville | TCAT Knoxville's OEP Student Success and Retention Fast Track | Boyd Hestand |
| Tennessee Technological University | S.T.A.T.: Business Communications I | Mike Gotcher |
| Tennessee Technological University | S.T.A.T.: Topics in American Literature | Mike Gotcher |
| University of Memphis | OER Healthcare Interpreting Course Redesign | Diana Ruggiero |
| Volunteer State Community College | Philosophical Methods | Jeremy Shipley |
| Volunteer State Community College | Learning Support Writing OER Grant | Kelly Ormsby |
| Volunteer State Community College | OER course revitalization for Early and Modern US History Online Model Courses, VolState | Stella Pierce |
| Walters State Community College | 2022-2023 Open Educational Resources Grant | Christopher Morelock |
Course Revitalization – Scaling HIPs at Community Colleges (July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2024)
| Institution | Title | Grantee Email |
| Chattanooga State Community College | English 1010 with Learning Support Lab | Jeff Lemon |
| Chattanooga State Community College | QAQC 2360-2365-2367-Statistical Process Control-Project Management-Improvement Practices | Jeff Lemon |
| Columbia State Community College | HIPS: Revitalization Using Global Cultural Awareness for the Humanities Course Sequence | Patrick McElhiney |
| Dyersburg State Community College | Honors Program Transition at DSCC from Project Based to Course Based | Franklin Wells |
| Motlow State Community College | Adventures in African American Literature | Donna Brewer |
| Southwest Tennessee Community College | Equity and Adaptive Learning in Math 0530/1530 | Lisa Loden |
| Southwest Tennessee Community College | Technology Enhanced Learning for Career Communication in COMM 2025 | William Turner |
| Southwest Tennessee Community College | Service Learning in MLAB 2401 Clinical Chemistry class. | Shilpa Desai |
| Walters State Community College | Student Directed Learning in the Honors Composition Two Classroom | Gracie Rossie |