The Builders Initiative
Funding Agency: Walton Family Foundation
Award: $525,000
Funding Period: 07/01/2022 - 08/01/2026
Project Manager: Ferris Kawar (Kawar_ferris@smc.edu), 310-434-3911
The grant will help develop an interdisciplinary Aquaculture certificate program, with the Life Science, Earth Science and Business Departments, in order to train the workforce in the emerging field of regenerative aquaculture.
California Adult Education Program
Funding Agency: CA Community College Chancellor’s Office
Award: $441,333
Funding Period: No end date
Project Manager: Scott Silverman (silverman_scott@smc.edu), 310-434-4370
The California Adult Education Program allocates regional funding for adult education/noncredit programs. As part of this regional program, SMC has partnered with the SMMUSD Adult Education Center to create adult education/noncredit pathways and support services to credit bearing programs and workforce for adults 18 and over.
CCAMPIS Grant
Funding Agency: U.S. Dept. of Education
Award: $1,120,000
Funding Period: 10/01/2021 – 09/30/2025
Project Manager: Jeanette Lopez (lopez_jeanette@smc.edu)
CCAMPIS increases access to post-secondary education for low-income (PELL Grant eligible) student parents by providing quality, affordable and accessible childcare services while they further their education. CCAMPIS covers up to 100% of the cost for part-time, full-time, and extended hours childcare. Student parents who qualify may select a licensed childcare center to care for their children while they attend SMC classes.
Certified Nursing Assistant Program: Charting a Path to Healthcare Occupations
Funding Agency: Arthur N. Rupe Foundation
Award: $30,000
Funding Period: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2025
Project Manager: Eric Williams (williams_eric@smc.edu), 310-434-3455
SMC’s Noncredit Health and Wellness Pathways program provides free training, skills building and the certification necessary for a student seeking to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA).
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Practices
Funding Agency: CA Community College Chancellor’s Office
Award: $300,000
Funding Period: 07/01/2023 – 06/30/2025
Project Manager: Diana Pennington (pennington_diana@smc.edu)
Project will address and support DEIA-focused professional development within the faculty and staff at Santa Monica College. As a leader in the community for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility, Santa Monica College is dedicated to further developing cultural competence, the inclusion and strengthening of underrepresented students, and a more DEIA-content driven curriculum.
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Innovative Best Practices
Funding Agency: CA Community College Chancellor’s Office
Award: $300,000
Funding Period: 07/01/2023 – 06/30/2025
Project Manager: Diana Pennington (pennington_diana@smc.edu)
Project will will support and encourage DEIA-focused equal employment opportunities at Santa Monica College. Additionally, it will strengthen existing equal employment opportunities for faculty and staff. Santa Monica College is extremely committee to promoting a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility-minded environment. Furthermore, the college is dedicated to increasing equal employment opportunities and professional development for faculty and staff through pre-hiring interventions, post-hiring interventions, and diversity promising interventions.
Expanding the Cell Science and Immunological Testing Workforce by Developing a Diverse and Inclusive Credentialed Biotechnology Program
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
Award: $348,925
Funding Period: 07/01/2022 – 06/30/2025
Project Managers: Andria Denmon (denmon_andria@smc.edu), Thomas Chen (chen_thomas@smc.edu)
Project will support the rapid growth of biotechnology industries in Santa Monica and West Los Angeles while influencing the economic impact of Southern California; expand outreach, recruitment, and retention efforts of students from traditionally untapped pools of talent and communities; and, grow a diverse and talented workforce while narrowing the training, mentorship, and employment equity gaps associated with the LS/Biotech industry in California. This equity-centered and inclusive biotechnology technician education program has the potential to serve as a replicable model for how to advance diversity and inclusion in programs that focus on LS/Biotech technician education.
Expanding the Equity-Centered Biotechnology Workforce Program at Santa Monica College
Funding Agency: Keck Foundation
Award: $1,000,000
Funding Period: 01/01/2023 – 12/30/2025
Project Manager: Andria Denmon (denmon_andria@smc.edu); Thomas Chen (chen_thomas@smc.edu)
SMC is launching a ground-breaking biotechnology program that aligns with rigorous industry standards and is designed to be accessible to all SMC students, especially those who are experiencing the greatest equity and achievement gaps as well as those who do not feel fully represented in STEM fields.
Fostering an Equity Mindset
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
Award: $2,500,000
Funding Period: 10/01/2019 - 09/30/2025
Project Manager: Silvana Carrion (carrion_silvana@smc.edu), 310-434-4837
Using a cohort-based model, the Fostering an Equity Mindset project facilitates STEM Faculty professional development in equity to support student success via coaching and mentoring.
Hispanic Serving Institution STEM and Articulation Program Title III - Engage, Succeed, Advance STEM
Funding Agency: Department of Education
Award: $4,944,951
Funding Period: 10/01/2021 - 09/30/2026
Project Manager: Vanan Yahnian (yahnian_vanan@smc.edu), 310-434-3993
The Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) STEM and Articulation Program, Title III will engage students in STEM via outreach events, bringing Underrepresented Minority (URM) speakers to campus, expanding Supplemental Instruction(SI) to critical STEM courses. To develop and implement a Faculty Led Makerspace that will have laser printers, 3D printers and scanners a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine used in STEM studies.
Navigating the Pathway to Success - Title V
Funding Agency: Department of Education
Award: $3,000,000
Funding Period: 10/01/2019 - 09/30/2025
Project Manager: Deyadra Blye (blye_deyadra@smc.edu), 310-434-4149
The Title V Developing Hispanic Serving Institutions Program will develop a peer coaching/pathway navigator program that will 1) increase the number of Latinx and other low-income students who complete their educational goals; 2) reduce the time to completion for Latinx and other low-income students; and 3) decrease the overall cost of education for Latinx and other low-income students.
Noncredit Strong Workforce Program
Funding Agency: CA Community College Chancellor’s Office
Funding Period: continuous
Project Manager: Scott Silverman (silverman_scott@smc.edu), 310-434-44370
The Noncredit Strong Workforce Program (SWP) allocates funding for the creation of noncredit career educational pathways to credit bearing coursework or employment.
Perkins V
Funding Agency: California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office
Funding Period: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2025
Project Manager: Patricia Ramos (ramos_patricia@smc.edu), 310-434-3311
The Strengthening Career and Technical Education supports Accounting, Aquaculture, CIS, Cosmetology, Digital Media, DSPS, ECE, Film Production, Media Production (Broadcasting), Nursing, Respiratory Care, Applied Photography, Sustainable Tech, Technical Theatre) programs.
Pico Partnership
Funding Agency: City of Santa Monica
Award: FY 2024-2025 $230,586
Funding Period: 07/01/2023 - 06/30/2027
Project Manager: Stuart Ortiz (ortiz_stuart@smc.edu), 310-434-8058
The Pico Partnership program is a joint partnership between Santa Monica College and the City of Santa Monica. The program is designed to meet the need of underserved, under-represented youth living in close proximity to the college. The program assists and motivates young residents of the Pico neighborhood to pursue postsecondary activities leading to degrees, certificates, transfer to a 4-year university, and/or employment.
Rising Scholars Network Program 2.0
Funding Agency: California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office
Award: $382,500
Funding Period: 01/01/2023 - 07/31/2025
Project Manager: Debra Joseph Locke (locke_debra@smc.edu), 310-434-4449
The grant will continue and enhance services and outcomes for formerly incarcerated students through the SMC RISING (Re-entering Incarcerated and System Impacted Navigating Greatness) Program. SMC RISING offers academic counseling and engagement activities to formerly incarcerated students.
Strategies for Optimal AI Resilience (SOAR)
Funding Agency: Foundation for California Community Colleges – California Education Learning Lab
Award: $200,000
Funding Period: 03/01/2025 - 08/31/2026
Project Manager: Steven Sedky (sedky_steven@smc.edu), 310-434-4845
The Santa Monica College (SMC) and Glendale Community College (GCC) Strategies for Optimal AI Resilience (SOAR) is a collaborative initiative with SMC leading and serving as the host institution to design and equip faculty with the skills and resources to effectively integrate AI into their teaching practices with a goal of fostering an intercampus community, enhance teaching, learning, and the student experience via AI.
Strong Workforce Program (Local)
Funding Agency: California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office
Funding Period: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2025
Project Manager: Ruth Casillas (casillas_ruth@smc.edu), 310-434-4023
The Strong Workforce Program (SWP) helps to strengthen career education programs through local collaboration and by preparing more students for high-demand, high-wage jobs. SWP incentive funding provides rewards to colleges and regions that attain these goals. Funding must lead to “more (quantity) and better (improved)” career technical education (CTE) by targeting student success, career pathways, workforce data and outcomes, curriculum and other program areas.
Strong Workforce Program (Regional)
Funding Agency: California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office
Funding Period: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2025
Project Manager: Ruth Casillas (casillas_ruth@smc.edu), 310-434-4023
The Strong Workforce Program (SWP) helps to strengthen career education programs through regional collaboration and by preparing more students for high-demand, high-wage jobs. SWP incentive funding provides rewards to colleges and regions that attain these goals. Funding must lead to “more (quantity) and better (improved)” career technical education (CTE) by targeting student success, career pathways, workforce data and outcomes, curriculum and other program areas.
UCLA Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP)
Partnership Agency: UCLA and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU)
Partners Funded by: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in collaboration with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the American Dental Education Association (ADEA)
Period: 10/01/2024 - 09/30/2026
Project Manager: Collin Ellis (ellis_collin@smc.edu), 310-434-8279
This is a partnership with UCLA/CDU and SMC’s role will be to provide outreach and recruitment of SMC students to participate in the SHPEP program. The summer academic enrichment program is focused on increasing diversity in the health professions sponsored by the RWJF and includes dentistry, medicine, nursing, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant, and public health. UCLA/CDU is one of 12 program sites across the US participating in the SHPEP program. This partnership will strengthen the existing collaboration and serve to inform local communities in the Los Angeles area about the SHPEP program.
USC Sea Grant California Deep Ocean DDT+ Research
Funding Agency: USC Subaward
Award: $29,361
Funding Period: 06/01/2023 – 01/31/2026
Project Manager: Lisa Collins (collins_lisa@smc.edu), 310-434-8857
This project will help researchers distinguish the fate of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), an insecticide that was widely used in United States agriculture, within the local ocean basin. Researchers will be able to "fingerprint" where the DDT and its diagenetic compounds come to be in our food web. SMC students, mentored by faculty, will work side by side with USC and Caltech students, research scientists and technicians in the process of achieving this project's objectives. Students will learn lab procedures at USC and Caltech labs and will be responsible for measurement, quality control, interpretation, and presentation of results. The grant will conclude with a workshop of the study that will include public-welcoming discussions of why and how it is important to Southern Californians.
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)
Funding Agency: California Department of Education
Award: FY 2024 - 2025 $288,692
Funding Period: 07/01/2024 - 06/30/2025
Project Manager: Luis Jauregui (jauregui_luis@smc.edu), 310-434-3403
The grant will address the regional need to increase the middle skill workforce, especially in five key areas: foundational skills, core competency skills, essential work readiness and work maturity skills, and job specific vocational skills.