Incentive Grants
Community and Faith-Based Organization Outreach
GEAR UP awards grants to support initiatives that tap the potential of youth and family outreach services and activities of community and faith-based organizations (CBOs). GEAR UP awards annual subgrants to CBOs to promote Oklahoma's Promise-OHLAP and to engage parents, especially by raising educational expectations.
2007-2008 CBO Incentive Grant Recipients
Fellowship of Women in Christ, Ada, will partner with East Central University and Ada Junior High for “BEST Educational Program – Bridge to Excellence for Students in Transition.” BEST will provide college preparation resources, Oklahoma’s Promise information and academic assistance to students and their families as they transition through junior high and high school to college. In addition, the program will offer on-site services to students at Ada Junior High and Byng Public Schools as well as provide informational services to other junior high and middle schools in Pontotoc County including Allen, Latta, Roff, Vanoss, Stonewall and McLish school districts.
Greater Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will partner with Oklahoma City Public Schools, Oklahoma State University – Oklahoma City and Oklahoma City Community College. The program will utilize college interns to distribute and promote information on preparing for college and Oklahoma’s Promise to students and families from three high schools – Capitol Hill, Southeast and U.S. Grant. The VIVA Oklahoma’s Promise outreach coordinators will make presentations to students during assemblies, make personal contact with individual students and set up appointments to discuss college options to both parents and students. In addition to participating in college nights, the program staff will set up booths with college prep and Oklahoma’s Promise information at south Oklahoma City retail stores one Saturday per month.
St. John Christian Care Center, Oklahoma City, will partner with Frederick Douglass High School and the University of Central Oklahoma for “eXcell,” which will provide mentoring sessions, financial aid awareness seminars, ACT test prep workshops, parent/teacher meetings and college and career fairs. In addition, two project liaisons will conduct Oklahoma’s Promise enrollment and retention activities on the high school campus on a monthly basis. Also, representatives of the program will attend sporting events during basketball and football seasons to recruit Oklahoma’s Promise participants and generate parental support.
Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City will partner with Rogers Middle School, Star Spencer High School and Rose State College for the “Spencer College Bound Youth Program.” Tutoring sessions will be the springboard for college prep discussion and enrollment in Oklahoma’s Promise. In addition, students will be given the opportunity to participate in preparing for college sessions on the importance of academic readiness, applying for financial aid and career exploration. Other sessions will encourage students to make good grades, attend class and have a positive attitude. Additionally, students will go on college campus tours, attend life skills seminars and career fairs, and hear from guest speakers.
Community Action Project of Tulsa County (CAP) will partner with Oklahoma State University – Tulsa and Tulsa Community College to distribute and promote information on preparing for college and Oklahoma’s Promise to students and families from five high schools – McClain School of Science and Technology, Central, Nathan Hale, Will Rogers and Daniel Webster. During tax season, January through April, CAP will again offer Oklahoma’s Promise enrollment at several free tax-service sites. In addition, mentoring , tutoring and targeted Oklahoma’s Promise promotion events and services will be conducted in both English and Spanish.
East Tulsa Prevention Coalition (ETPC), a program of the Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa, will partner with East Central High School and Tulsa Community College to target high school students and families for Oklahoma’s Promise enrollment through outreach activities in both English and Spanish, including open houses, financial aid awareness sessions, back-to-school nights, parent/teacher meetings and on-site resource fairs. In addition, the program will engage assistance from the Paseo de Salud Program in order to provide quality home-based outreach services to Hispanic families and will enlist the assistance of parents and teachers at East Central to reach the African-American population.
View 2005-2006 CBO Incentive Grant Recipients.
View 2006-2007 CBO Incentive Grant Recipients.
View 2008-2009 CBO Incentive Grant Recipients.