Last week the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), unveiled new details about the Regional Talent Development Initiative Program which allows Colorado to fund both new and proven programs that “seed transformative change” through alignment and collaboration across high school, postsecondary, and workforce.
Colorado Succeeds along with 30 industry and advocacy partners strongly supported the legislation carried by Rep. Julie McCluskie to create this program and steer stimulus dollars to seed and scale innovative partnerships.
In a recent call with stakeholders, OEDIT reported that on July 7th, an Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) for a Third-Party Administrator was released. This process closed on August 8th and OEDIT hopes to have the administrator onboard soon.
The Administrator will be responsible for turnkey operational execution of the grant program, including the provision of the technical infrastructure, knowledge, and expertise necessary for the successful execution of grant funds.
Also of note, the law required a steering committee to provide general guidance regarding the grant application. The following individuals have been named, including Colorado Succeeds’ board member, Dave Eddy:
- Patty Quinones, Retired St. Vrain Deputy Superintendent
- Landon Pirius, Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, Colorado Community College System (CCCS)
- Janet Lopez, Board of Trustees Member, Fort Lewis College; Senior Director of Policy, Partnerships & Learning, The Denver Foundation
- Sarah Hughes, Chair, Colorado Commission on Higher Education
- Wayne Taliaferro, Strategy Director for Student Success, Lumina Foundation
- Roger Low, Founder & CEO, Colorado Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative (CEEMI)
- Tawny Espinoza, Vice President of Business Development at Community Hospital and Adjunct Professor at CO Mesa University
- David Eddy, Colorado Site Director, Boeing
- Josh Scott, Businessperson and Vice Chair, Colorado Commission on Higher Education
As a reminder the key dates to be on the lookout for this grant are:
- At the latest December 1, 2022: first grant application process to be available
- December 31, 2024 & 2026: “fund must be obligated” (2024) and funding ends (2026)
Interested in applying for this program? Contact Ben Gerig at bgerig@coloradosucceeds.org to learn more. Stay tuned to Colorado Succeeds regarding more ways to get involved and learn about how your organization can apply for these funds.
