Community Mobilization
MCAN's engages community-based partners across the state though Local College Access Networks and other collaborative initiatives.
Initiatives
Community Ambassadors
The Community Ambassador program works with cross-sector partners to improve the college-going culture in areas that do not have a Local College Access Network.
Local College Access Networks
LCANs are community-based college access alliances supported by a team of community and education leaders representing K-12, higher education, the nonprofit sector, government, business, and philanthropy.
Roadmap to Opportunity
Roadmap to Opportunity highlights in-demand, high-wage careers in Michigan through videos, printed collateral, and professional development for school counselors, college advisers, and other practitioners working directly with students.
Advocacy and Alignment
Michigan Promise Zones Association
MCAN works closely with the Michigan Promise Zones Association by providing technical assistance and support to ensure that these "placed-based" scholarships are helping students pursue a postsecondary education.
Michigan Consortium for Higher Education in Prison
The Michigan Consortium for Higher Education in Prison (MiCHEP) was established to improve the lives of incarcerated people by preparing them to successfully reenter society through opportunities to earn college degrees and certificates.
Michigan Higher Education Attainment Roundtable
Michigan Higher Education Attainment Roundtable (MIHEART) is an ongoing, cross-sector collaborative that seeks to promote, advocate for, and guide policy changes that will raise postsecondary attainment levels and improve Michigan’s talent pipeline.
Grants
LCAN Grants
MCAN offers a series of grant opportunities to build up Local College Access Networks, which are working in communities across the state to get more students to and through college.
Innovative Program Grants
Innovative Program Grants are designed to support innovative, data-informed programs and projects that increase college readiness, enrollment, and completion in communities across the state.
Resources
Charting the Course
MCAN's second edition of Charting the Course. A guide to communities for increasing educational attainment through the lens of collective impact.
Collective Impact Benchmarks
MCAN has designed a set of Benchmarks using the Collective Impact framework as described in Charting the Course. These Benchmarks can be used by communities as they build an LCAN, as well as by existing LCANs.
ALICE Report from the United Way
Standing for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed - ALICE represents those in our communities who are working yet still struggling to make ends meet. The ALICE Report is the most comprehensive depiction of need in Michigan to date.
College Affordability in Michigan (NCAN Snapshot)
This is a state of Michigan profile outlining key college affordability measures in Michigan. It incorporate state-specific data on the Pell Grant, FAFSA completion, college enrollment, and degree attainment.
Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW)
Reports and data developed by Georgetown University Center, focusing on education and the workforce.
Stronger Nation: A Lumina Foundation Reporting Tool
Lumina Foundation tracks the post-high school educational attainment of Americans ages 25-64. Since 2008, that figure has increased by 10 percentage points in Michigan.
The Journal of College Access
A peer-reviewed, academic, open access, online journal with a focus on how students aspire to, gain access to, enroll in and persist in higher education institutions. The Journal is published periodically.
Press Releases
MCAN awards over $26,000 in grants to support innovative college access and success projects
Michigan College Access Network is proud to announce three Innovative Program Grants to support promising college access and success projects across the state. Montcalm Community College and Alternatives for Girls each received $10,000, and Michigan Technological University received $6,333.
MCAN celebrates budget wins, evaluates tough cuts
Education priorities mostly survive tough, drawn-out negotiations over fiscal year 2026 budget
Leading Michigan organizations join MIHEART to advance the state’s Sixty by 30 postsecondary attainment goal
Four key organizations join higher education-focused cross-sector collaborative
Blogs
Carrying the Promise Forward: Coco Moulder’s Commitment to College Access
As MCAN reflects on 15 years of advancing college access in Michigan, we’re reminded that lasting change requires a collaborative effort. It takes schools, communities, statewide networks, advisers, and families working together to help students see what’s possible and navigate a path forward.