Sustaining Grant-funded Initiatives:
In some instances, grant-funded work may be sustained beyond the original life of the grant. Some factors that contribute to sustainable initiatives include an interactive and trusting relationship with the funder/grantor and also delivering above and beyond on the objectives and deliverables outlined in the grant proposal.
For instance, IU Columbus received a Core to College grant around 2012 which originated from ICHE and was funded by prominent organizations like the Gates, Hewlett, and Lumina Foundations. The grant was managed by the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL) at the University of Indianapolis. Over the life of the grant, the project took a different direction due to changes at the state legislative level and in funding organizations. The modified College Readiness initiative emerged with continued funding support from the Lumina Foundation. Through these changes, the initial grant period of three years was extended and IU Columbus worked closely with CELL and continued to move forward with the work, even as limited direction was provided. IU Columbus was the only one of the three grantees to persist and fulfill all grant requirements. The funders were pleased with the performance and impressed with the final project deliverables. IU Columbus received additional funds to encourage broader dissemination of the final products.
Another example includes the Gateway Community of Practice. This collaborative initiative involves IU Columbus and Ivy Tech Community College Columbus and is partially funded by the Community Education Coalition (Columbus) using residual funds from a Lumina Foundation grant. Major objectives of the Gateway Community include classroom implementation of high-impact best practices which are documented and shared through faculty professional development across both campuses. Further, a Supplemental Instruction framework was developed to train faculty and SI student leaders to implement Supplemental Instruction in difficult classes which typically experience high DFW rates. The funders have been closely involved in the work and are pleased with results to date – so much so that the Gateway Community of Practice has been written into future grant proposals to fund and sustain the work.
