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Save the Date: AV to Host Webinar for Prospective Grant Applicants to RFP on Success in Higher Education

Webinar aims to convey what our reviewers look for in RCT grant proposals in the area of higher education student success programs and expand and diversify the pool of applicants.

College graduates
John Amis/The Associated Press

Arnold Ventures’ Higher Education and Evidence-Based Policy initiatives will host a 60-minute webinar for prospective applicants seeking grant funding through our joint request for proposals (RFP): rigorous impact evaluations of programs and practices (“interventions”) to promote college success in the United States that fall into one of three tiers: 

(i) The intervention is backed by promising prior evidence suggesting it could produce sizable impacts on important student success outcomes (e.g., student learning, persistence, degree or certificate completion, job placement, post-college earnings, and debt burden);

(ii) The intervention is widely adopted in practice, but has not yet been rigorously evaluated and its impacts on key student success outcomes are thus largely unknown; or

(iii) The intervention is growing in use and likely to become widely adopted, but has not yet been rigorously evaluated.

Whenever possible, Arnold Ventures has a preference for funding randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

The webinar will take place Tuesday, October 18, 2022, at 2 p.m. ET and is accessible via Zoom. Register here.

Arnold Ventures (AV) is a nonpartisan philanthropic organization. AV’s Evidence-Based Policy initiative is a major source of funding for RCTs across all areas of U.S. social policy. AV’s Higher Education team supports and promotes success for students of all incomes and socioeconomic backgrounds through effective student success practices, quality and accountability, and data transparency.

The key aims of the webinar are to (i) clearly convey to prospective applicants what our reviewers look for in RCT grant proposals in the area of higher education student success programs that address equity gaps and (ii) expand and diversify the pool of applicants. The webinar will include the following two presentations followed by Q&A:

  • Jessica Taketa, Manager of Higher Education, will provide an overview of the RFP selection criteria and process
  • Amanda Moderson-Kox, Director of Evidence-Based Policy, will provide practical advice on developing a successful RCT proposal that satisfies the RFP criteria, including common mistakes to avoid.

Webinar participants will have an opportunity to submit questions during the webinar registration process and during the live Q&A session. Please visit our AV Evidence-Based Policy page for information including summaries of our existing and past RCT grants. Our AV Higher Education page includes current funding priority areas and grants. We look forward to your participation.