MCAN Receives $50,000 Grant From FCA Foundation to Increase Enrollment of Metro-Detroit Students in College Degree and Career Certificate Programs

December 7, 2018 , Lansing, Mich. -  The Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) has received a $50,000 grant from the FCA Foundation, the charitable arm of North American automaker FCA US LLC, to increase the percentage of Detroiters with high quality degrees and certificates. The grant will support MCAN's AdviseMI program, which helps low-income students, first-generation college-going students and students of color navigate the complex college exploration, admissions and financial aid process.
 
“This substantial investment in postsecondary attainment efforts by the FCA Foundation will increase our capacity to serve students in the Metropolitan Detroit area,” said Brandy Johnson, executive director and founder of the Michigan College Access Network.
 
AdviseMI provides critical college access resources to nearly 4,200 students and their families across the Metropolitan Detroit area (Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties). College advisers placed at 22 high-need schools by AdviseMI assist students and their families through a step-by-step process of applying for and enrolling in postsecondary education.
 
“We (FCA Foundation) believe that education is a cornerstone for empowering people and building strong, resilient communities,” said Christine Estereicher, FCA Foundation CEO and Director, State Affairs, Civic Engagement & External Affairs, FCA US LLC. “Working in partnership with MCAN and other community organizations, we can significantly impact the educational and career outcomes of this generation of students, as well as the next.”  
 
AdviseMI advisers will increase college applications and financial aid application completions and postsecondary enrollment as leading indicators of increased persistence to, and completion of, high quality certificates and degrees. Over time, these efforts will help MCAN achieve its "Big Goal" — 60 percent of Michigan’s residents will have a postsecondary degree or credential by the year 2025.
 
About Advise Michigan (AdviseMI)
Established in 2015, AdviseMI currently has 56 college advisers placed in 71 high schools in Michigan. The goal of the program is to increase the number of high school students who enter and complete postsecondary education. The advisers are recent college graduates from partner colleges. After an intensive four-week training, advisers help students navigate the complex college exploration process, retake college admissions tests, apply to colleges that are a good match/fit, complete financial aid applications, secure financial aid and matriculate to college.
 
In June 2018, AdviseMI received the Outstanding National Service Award at the 2018 Governor’s Service Awards ceremony. The Outstanding National Service Award is awarded to programs that make an impact in communities and successfully support their service members.
 
About the Michigan College Access Network (MCAN)
As the leader in the state’s college access movement, MCAN’s mission is to increase Michigan’s college readiness, participation and completion rates, particularly among low-income students, first-generation college-going students and students of color. For the seventh year in a row, Michigan’s postsecondary educational attainment rate has increased — from 35.7 percent of 25- to 64-year-olds possessing at least an associate degree in 2008, to 39.4 percent in 2015. Additionally, it is estimated another 4 percent of Michiganders have a high-quality certificate, bringing Michigan’s official attainment rate to 43.7 percent as of 2018. It is MCAN’s goal to increase Michigan’s postsecondary educational attainment rate to 60 percent by the year 2025. For more information, visit micollegeaccess.org.
 
FCA Foundation
The FCA Foundation is the charitable arm of North American automaker FCA US LLC, a member of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) family of companies. The FCA Foundation invests in U.S. charitable organizations and initiatives that help empower people, build strong, resilient communities and generate meaningful and measurable societal impacts. In support of these objectives, the FCA Foundation focuses on the following foundational pillars: youth development, education, support for military, veterans and their families, and community service.