New America & ACCT Invite Community Colleges to Apply for Work-Based Learning Capacity-Building Cohort

New America’s Future of Work & Innovation Economy initiative (FOWIE) and the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT)’s Center for Policy & Practice invite community college presidents and trustees to engage cross-functional teams in applying to participate in a Work-Based Learning (WBL) Capacity-Building Cohort. 

This opportunity will empower a national cohort of six community colleges to undertake a comprehensive institutional self-study and strategic planning process to assess the quality and increase the availability of WBL opportunities at their institution. The formal participation timeframe will be from June 2026 to December 2027, with optional opportunities to follow.

The Work-Based Learning Capacity Building Cohort is offered through the Accelerator for Community Colleges in the Innovation Economy (Accelerator). The Accelerator is a strategic initiative launched by New America and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The Accelerator’s mission is to build the community college sector’s capacity for economic and workforce development strategies, particularly for advanced and emerging technologies. ACCT serves on the Accelerator’s National Partners Council alongside the American Association of Community Colleges, Achieving the Dream, and other national associations.

Cohort Overview

• Selected colleges will receive $20,000, technical assistance, peer learning opportunities through the cohort, and access to subject matter experts between June 2026 and December 2027, with optional opportunities to follow.
• New America and ACCT will support cohort members in deploying a unique institutional self-study tool developed by our organizations, designed to help college executives improve institutional approaches to scale employer-driven WBL opportunities for students. The self-study will involve a survey instrument and interview protocols geared toward on-campus (students, faculty, staff, leadership) and off-campus stakeholders (employers, chambers of commerce, state/local government, regional/national partners, economic developers, funders, etc.).
• Using insights from the self-study, each college will develop a ‘strategic plan for WBL capacity-building’ to improve the quality and availability of WBL opportunities moving forward. The plan would ideally be incorporated into existing governance expectations and processes, such as strategic planning, accreditation processes, and fundraising plans.  
• Upon completion, cohort members will receive national recognition as pilot partners when New America and ACCT jointly publish the institutional self-study tool for the benefit of all community colleges. Colleges may be engaged to disseminate lessons learned across the sector, with news media, and industry leaders.

For the purposes of this cohort, “work-based learning” is defined to include all employer-connected experiential learning practices that improve employability outcomes for community college students, including internships and micro-internships, registered apprenticeships, co-ops, project-based learning, clinicals, practicums, and other formats.

Timeline and Important Dates

• Application Release Date: March 30, 2026
• Informational Meeting for Prospective Applicants: April 9, 2026 (Register here)
• Application Submission Deadline: May 8, 2026
• Finalist Interview Period: Late May 2026
• Decision Notification & Onboarding: June 2026
• Project Participation: June 2026 to December 2027 (Optional opportunities to follow)

Selection Criteria 

As this is an institutional strategic planning and capacity-building opportunity, New America and ACCT will seek to ensure sufficient buy-in, alignment, sustainability potential, and engagement across the cohort over the course of the project timeline (June 2026 to December 2027). To be considered, applicants must demonstrate:

• Substantial presidential and board-level commitment to improving and scaling work-based learning as evidenced by a current working definition, strategic plan or initiatives, state-level policy requirements and guidance, related grants, or prior participation in national or regional initiatives focused on work-based learning, including for advanced and emerging industries;
• A network of employer and regional industry partners who share the college’s desire to improve the institution’s WBL capacity-building strategy, as evidenced by a letter of support from a regional chamber, industry association, economic development organizations, employer intermediary, or major employers in the college’s service area; and
• Sufficient capacity to complete a self-study and subsequent implementation work, as evidenced by a cross-functional project team of approximately 4-6 members to lead this initiative, serving as liaisons across the campus community and working directly with New America and ACCT project staff. The composition of the team should include: the college president and chancellor, two full-time staff, including the college’s chief workforce officer and a dedicated work-based learning leader, and at least two faculty members. Other members may include students, trustees, foundation staff, etc.

Participation Requirements & Timeline

• Deploy the provided institutional self-study tool to on-and off-campus stakeholders to comprehensively audit and inventory the college’s current approaches to creating WBL opportunities, and identify strengths and areas of growth and improvement. These findings will be presented to the college’s senior leadership and to other partners. (6-7 months)
  • Engage stakeholders and trustees in the self-study process, which may include interviewing internal and external campus stakeholders, such as college leaders, faculty, staff, students, alumni, employers, and external partners (including national or regional organizations).
• Develop a ‘strategic plan for WBL capacity-building’ with New America, based on the results of the self-study, to enact at least five concrete institutional policy and practice changes to strengthen the institution’s ability to scale quality WBL experiences college-wide, across a 1-5 year timeframe as determined by the college. (3-4 months)
• Implement the ‘strategic plan for WBL capacity-building’ and make at least one capacity-building institutional policy or practice change, based on a set of actionable deliverables and milestones to be completed by the close of the project in December 2027. (8-9 months)
• Participate in technical assistance support from New America and ACCT, including individual coaching meetings and regular virtual workshops for the cohort with experts in WBL capacity-building, college mentors, and other resources. (Ongoing)
• Optional: Share insights and lessons learned with peers and leaders from other communities across the country by engaging in New America and ACCT’s storytelling efforts, social media campaigns, speaking opportunities, and other mechanisms to disseminate the published self-study tool.

Use of Grant Funding

Funding awarded to the Accelerator WBL Capacity-Building Cohort is intended to augment the college’s staff capacity to deploy the self-study and implement a realistic strategic plan based on the findings. The funds also aim to help the college create the needed staff bandwidth to participate in and receive technical assistance support from New America and ACCT. Allowable uses include:

• Staffing or consulting capacity related to self-study deployment, strategy implementation, coordination, and socialization among on-campus and off-campus stakeholders
• Meeting costs associated with convening partners and relevant stakeholders for your self-study (e.g. focus groups, workshops, or cross-functional team meetings as they relate to deploying your self-study to on-campus and off-campus stakeholders)
• Expenses associated with data collection and management, research, and evaluation activities, including technology tools
• Travel to meetings, conferences, or other events related to grant objectives
• Technical assistance engagements with New America/ACCT or other subject-matter experts

Submitting Your Application 

Please submit your application using this SurveyMonkey Apply form by 5:00 p.m. PT on May 8, 2026. You can also download a document version of the full application at this link. Applications that are incomplete or submitted after the application deadline will not be considered. Questions may be directed to futureofwork@newamerica.org.