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Overview
Background
Community College Innovations
Investing in Encore Innovation
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Encore Career Grant Information
Useful Resources
> Frequently Asked Questions
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Frequently Asked Questions
Encore Career Concept
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Q:
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What does "encore career" mean?
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A:
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Marc Freedman, Founder and CEO of Civic Ventures, defines the encore career as "a 10- or 15-year career moving from midlife priorities to greater significance, one that might not be as long as midlife work but that weighs as much. Encore careers are not bridge jobs or senior volunteering, phased retirement or any kind of retirement. They are paid positions in social change and community service that promise to make the best and highest use of people's passions, talents and experience."
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Q:
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What is Civic Ventures doing to advance the encore career idea?
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A:
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In 2008 Civic Ventures launched the Encore Career campaign to engage
millions of boomers in encore careers that meet the needs of our society.
Learn more at www.encore.org. The campaign
grew out of the publication of Encore: Finding Work that Matters in
the Second Half of Life (PublicAffairs Books), a book by Freedman released
in 2007. Freedman is also author of the widely-praised Prime Time: How
Baby Boomers Will Revolutionize Retirement and Transform America.
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Community Colleges and the Encore Career Idea
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How are community colleges involved with encore careers? |
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Ten community colleges received MetLife/Civic Ventures Encore Career
grants in 2007 to help boomers transition to encore careers, A
profile of these programs and key lessons are included in the report Pathways
to Encore Careers: How 10 Community Colleges Are Preparing Boomers for
Work in Education, Health Care and Social Services, published
in October 2008 by the MetLife Foundation and Civic Ventures.
The American Association of Community College Plus
50 Initiative is
also working on the encore career idea through its three-year effort to
create or expand campus programs to engage the 50+ population in learning;
training/re-training programs; and/or volunteer, civic and service activities.
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What have been effective community college approaches so far? |
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Community colleges with the most successful approaches offered greater
flexibility in scheduling, convenient locations as well as online options,
fast-track programs, streamlined procedures, adequate support services,
peer mentoring and networking opportunities, and direct access to employers. |
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What types of community colleges are participating in the Encore Career Project?
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Although community colleges are not expected to start programs from scratch,
grant funding is expected to support innovation, not "business as usual," to
bridge the gap between adults who want to work for the common good and the
limited systems to help them find such work. The project is geared to community
colleges that:
- understand the unique interests and attitudes around midlife and post midlife training and career change;
- sponsor credit courses, degree programs or other services that are either well-matched to the needs of 50+ learners or could easily be adapted to their circumstances;
- have a clear strategy to educate and engage local social sector employers regarding the potential of adults 50+ to meet workforce needs in flexible and meaningful roles;
- address both internal and external challenges associated with attracting and effectively engaging boomers and older adults as students; and
- have the expressed support of college leadership, including the president.
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How will Civic Ventures capture lessons from the Community College Encore Career Grants?
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Civic Ventures will produce and widely disseminate a report on lessons
from the experience of Encore Career community college grantees to be completed
by Fall 2010. |
The Encore Career Grant
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What does the Encore Career Grant recognize?
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The Encore Career Grant is for community colleges coming up with new ways
to prepare boomers and older adults for encore careers in education, health
care, environment and social services. |
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Can grant funds be used for a planning or feasibility study?
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No, because of the short timeframe, these grants are intended for community
colleges that are ready and committed to establishing new ways for adults
50+ to transition to encore careers. However, this doesn't mean that you
have to start something entirely new. You can use grant funds to build on
existing programs and activities or to adapt them to the needs and interests
of boomers. |
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How often is the Encore Career Grant awarded?
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The Encore Career Grant is a one year grant program for individual
colleges. It is an effort to learn from innovative community colleges
and inform others about the value and possibilities of creating new pathways
to encore careers for older adults. This is the second round of Encore
Career Grants; the first round was awarded in 2007. |
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Will there be additional funding rounds for the Community College Encore Career Grant Program, or is this a one-year program only?
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At this time, the MetLife Foundation has provided funding for one year
only. |
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Who funds the Encore Career Grant?
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The MetLife Foundation has provided funding to Civic Ventures for this project.
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What do successful grant applicants receive?
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In 2009, eight community colleges will be selected to receive Encore Career
Grants of up to $25,000. They will be publicly recognized as leaders
in the field – in news releases, on the Civic Ventures website, and
at national meetings. They will have the opportunity to learn from one another
and from Civic Ventures' national effort to advance encore careers. |
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How will Civic Ventures add value to the grants?
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Since the late 1990s Civic Ventures has worked to reframe the debate about
aging in America and redefine the second half of life as a source of social
and individual renewal. In 2008, Civic Ventures launched the Encore Careers
campaign to increase interest, awareness and opportunities around 50+ adults
who are looking for careers that combine income, fulfillment and contribute
to the greater good.
The community colleges that win the Encore Career Grants will be key participants
in the national discussion Civic Ventures prompts - and part of the vanguard
of individuals and institutions that will likely take shape as a major movement
in the 21st century. In addition, Civic Ventures will promote the best practices
culled from the successful community colleges in a widely-circulated report,
on our web site, and in outreach to our constituents and to mainstream media.
And Civic Ventures will make sure that the selected community colleges have access
to new developments, new research and ideas, and new players in this field. |
Grant Eligibility, Proposals, and Selection
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What types of organizations are eligible to apply for Encore Career grants?
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Only community colleges are eligible to apply.
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What defines a community college?
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A community college, for the purposes of this grant program, is any accredited two-year institution that offers the associate degree as its primary award. That includes community, junior and technical colleges. |
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When does the proposal process begin? When is the deadline?
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The proposal process has begun. Proposals are now available and can be submitted
at any time through April 24, 2009. |
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How do I submit a proposal?
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Proposals will be accepted only through online submissions to this Web
site. Technical questions about accessing and completing the online proposal
form are answered in the Technical
Questions section of these FAQs
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What's the maximum page length for proposals?
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All proposals should be prepared using the proposal and budget form included
in the downloadable Grant
Proposal Information & Instructions. Page 3 of these instructions
stipulates a three-page limit for the narrative, which is Section V of the
proposal. Although there is not a stated page limit for the other sections,
it is anticipated that the overall proposal should not exceed 6 pages.
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Should I send letter(s) of support and/or additional materials along with my proposal?
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You may submit up to two optional letters of support or commitment from your community college or community partners. Instructions for including these with your online proposal are included the Technical Questions section of these FAQs. Please do not send additional materials for review. During the review process, applicants may be contacted and asked to provide additional information or participate in phone interviews.
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How will I know that my proposal has been received?
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You will be sent an email acknowledgement when your proposal is submitted online.
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Who makes the final selection of Encore Career Grant awards?
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Civic Ventures will make the final grant award decisions.
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When will grant awards be announced?
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Grant awards will be announced in early June 2009.
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Technical Questions
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What kind of software/hardware do I need to access the online proposal?
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To complete the online portion of the proposal you will need Internet access and Microsoft Word or word processing software that can save documents in Word format.
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How do I complete narrative and budget sections of the proposal?
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- Go to the page of the website called "Submit a proposal now" and
click on "Download proposal form here." This will allow you to
save the proposal form on your computer and complete all required sections.
- When you are done, use the "Save As" feature to give the application
form a new name.
The file name should be "YourCommunityCollegeRFP2009.doc" where
you replace the words YourCommunityCollege with the name of your
institution.
For example, if the organization's name is "Far East Community
College," your file name would be FarEastCommunityCollegeRFP2009.doc.
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How do I upload the proposal narrative?
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Once you have finished your Word document to your satisfaction, return
to the Encore Career Grant website, www.civicventures.org/CommunityColleges (submissions will open early March 2009),
and click on the link to "Submit a Proposal Now." On this page
you will:
- Enter the requested contact and organizational information. Some of this will be the same information you provided in your written narrative.
- Below the contact information section, you will see a section entitled "Proposal Narrative" with a field for the full path to the file on your computer or network. Click on the "Browse" button next to the field labeled Proposal Narrative. This will open a window allowing you to locate your completed proposal on your computer or network. When you find the document and click open, the path to the file on your computer will pre-fill the form field.
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Can I submit letters of support or commitment?
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Yes, you can submit up to two optional letters. These must be in either Word or PDF format and are submitted online repeating the process you used to upload your proposal narrative. Directly below the section of the form for your narrative are additional form fields for up to two letters. For each one that you wish to submit, provide the name and affiliation of the writer of the letter. Then click the Browse button, find the relevant letter and click Open to fill out the field with the pathway to the document. Repeat this process with a second letter if you have one.
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How do I submit the proposal?
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When all the information is correct and the fields for your narrative and any letters of support are filled in, click on the Submit Proposal button at the bottom of the form. Civic Ventures will be notified of the submission and an email confirmation will be sent to the person listed as the primary contact for the proposal.
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How can I keep a copy of my completed application?
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Since your word document will be on your computer, you will automatically have a copy of that. You may click on the Print button on your browser before submitting your application if you need a copy of the contact information you are providing to us.
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Additional Questions
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Whom should I contact if I have additional questions?
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Please submit your questions via email to jluce [at] civicventures [dot] org. |
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Challenging questions, a critical answer
The longevity revolution raises important questions concerning not only national economics, but national values as well. Civic Ventures answers by helping America achieve a national return on experience.
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