The Oceana County Community Foundation (OCCF) has established the Complete Your Degree (CYD) program as a way to redefine and reimagine how scholarship assets are used to support the continuing education of young adults.

The CYD is a new program to redefine the relationship between adult learners and scholarship assets. OCCF’s goal is to help local adults achieve their degrees and credentials to increase their household prosperity while fostering a more vibrant economy and meeting the employment skill gap in Oceana County.

In Oceana County, 26% of residents have some college credit and no degree and 15% of households live in poverty.

According to a press release, OCCF’s board took an in-depth look at its scholarship program’s impact in 2019, including how to support adult learners.

According to the press release, five applicants will be accepted into the initial cohort in 2022. The CYD will provide competitive needs-based scholarships, which will cover the full cost of tuition at one of its local community colleges.

Child care, transportation, housing and other needs are supported and included in the program. A success coach employed by the foundation will walk alongside students to provide extra support to ensure CYD students thrive.

The CYD was inspired by CMF member the Community Foundation of St. Clair County’s Complete Your Degree program that launched in 2017 and provides financial support for a wide range of “life needs” to young adults accepted into the program.

St. Clair County’s CYD program compliments its Come Home Award, a talent retention program that pays graduates on the back-end of their college career, after they have completed a degree in a STEM-related field, if they agree to move to and work within St. Clair County after graduation.

Want more?

Read more about the Complete Your Degree program.