Southeast Texas P-16 Council

The Texas Final Stretch Grant program  provides grants to Texas students with financial need who have completed 60 hours towards a degree and who enroll for the summer 2011 semester.

To be eligible the student must:

• At the time of application, be a U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident.
• At the time of application, be a “bona fide” Texas resident. Nonresident students who are eligible to pay resident tuition rates are not eligible.
• Be eligible to receive a federal Pell Grant for the 2010-2011 academic year. To be considered for an award, an applicant must have applied for financial assistance by completing the Free Application for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA) and show an EFC of $5273, or less. FAFSA information and instructions can be found at: www.fafsa.gov.
• Be classified as a Junior or Senior (completed at least 60 college credit hours) and enroll full-time (at least 6 hours) for a summer 2011 semester in an approved two- or four-year college or university, or accredited proprietary school in the United States.

The program is open to eligible students who are attending public or private, 2-year and 4-year universities or colleges, or accredited proprietary schools in the United States.

Qualifying students are eligible to receive a $2,000 grant if they enroll full-time for a summer 2011 semester in an approved institution of higher education.

Funds are limited and will be awarded on a first-come basis until available funds have been spent. College Juniors and Seniors who are pursuing degrees in STEM (Physical Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics) majors and who enroll in the FIRST summer semester will receive priority consideration.

Application Process

To receive consideration for this grant, students must complete an electronic Final Stretch Grant Program application located on our website: Online Application and submit to the Coordinating Board by April 30, 2011.

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The Foundation For Inspiration & Recognition of Science and Technology in Texas (FIRST in Texas) is excited to share the news with you that the Texas Workforce Commission awarded FIRST in Texas a grant award to support 230 new FIRST robotic teams across Texas in public high schools, home school organizations, private schools, and schools associated with our 17 military bases here in Texas.

This is a great opportunity to involve your high school students in a proven- hands on competition that involves science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Grant funds have been set aside for kit and registration costs for schools to start a new FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) team or a FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team. Both the FRC and the FTC have proven to motivate participants to pursue higher education, especially in the areas of engineering and technology.

Participants learn advanced programming and technology concepts as well as crucial life skills such as self confidence and teamwork. Hopefully you will consider taking advantage of the funding that is available to new teams and have a significant impact on your school.

The FTC and FRC programs are two upper-level competitions for 9th through 12th grade students that provide participants with a challenge and the opportunity to solve the challenge working alongside professional mentors including engineers, technologists, and scientists. At competitions, various awards recognize student teams at all levels and scholarships are available to help students further their education.

Cost to compete is a major difference between an FTC and FRC team. This may be a deciding factor in which team is most appropriate for your school. FTC teams average 10 students per team and costs total around $1,500*. FRC teams average 25 students and costs total around $6,500* and runs on a larger scale model. Visit www.usfirst.org to further understand the differences between these two competitions to see the best fit for your school.

To register for a new team, please visit the FIRST website at www.usfirst.org.

For more information on how to apply for grant funding to get your new FRC or FTC up and running, visit www.firstintexas.org and submit the application available on the home page.