Initiative Connects Community Colleges With Federal SNAP Employment and Training Partnership Network and Benefits

PITTSBURGH – Many adult learners enroll in college to open pathways to better-paying jobs and greater economic mobility. But enrolling and thriving in school can be hindered by direct and hidden costs. Alongside tuition, food, costs for childcare, transportation, or supplies and equipment can stymie an individual’s ability to complete their degree or certification, particularly for low-income students. However, there is an often untapped federal funding program that can support low-income students in their education goals.Many adult learners enroll in college to open pathways to better-paying jobs and greater economic mobility. But enrolling and thriving in school can be hindered by direct and hidden costs. Alongside tuition, food, costs for childcare, transportation, or supplies and equipment can stymie an individual’s ability to complete their degree or certification, particularly for low-income students. However, there is an often untapped federal funding program that can support low-income students in their education goals.

The Government Accountability Office estimates that 2.2 million students may be eligible for SNAP benefits, but do not receive them. Students that are SNAP recipients can access support for education and training costs, job readiness, and affiliated expenses through the SNAP Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) program. Meanwhile, SNAP enrollment is dropping due to increased work requirements. As work requirements intensify, individuals must secure eighty hours of monthly employment or engage in equivalent training activities to maintain their vital food assistance. This heightened pressure necessitates the development of more robust Employment and Training options. Strengthening community college pathways is a critical strategy for ensuring these learners can meet federal mandates without risking food insecurity.

ECMC Foundation has awarded $1.6 million in grant funding to the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) to expand access to education, training, and essential support for adult learners. CAEL will scale a three-year, multi-state initiative called BridgeSNAP E&T to strengthen the infrastructure for community colleges to participate in the SNAP Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) program.

"Community colleges want to support their students, but too many are navigating this system alone, without the infrastructure to access resources their students already qualify for," said Earl Buford, president and CEO of CAEL. "This grant lets us take what we've learned from years of SNAP E&T work and put it directly into the hands of more colleges, so more adult learners can stay enrolled, stay fed, and finish what they started."

CAEL has also been awarded a grant from Trellis Foundation and the Greater Texas Foundation to expand participation in SNAP Employment and Training among community colleges in Texas. These types of grants are the backbone behind CAEL’s ability to scale economic mobility for today’s learners through training and wraparound supports.

Community colleges serve the highest concentrations of low-income adults, working learners, single parents, and students of color in American higher education, and are often the primary access point for adults seeking workforce aligned credentials. These institutions therefore have a significant opportunity to leverage targeted federal funding to close basic needs gaps that keep learners from reaching and returning to the classroom.

SNAP E&T includes a federal reimbursement mechanism that allows colleges and other partners to recover half the cost of services they often already provide, including career navigation, education and workforce training, tuition support, transportation, childcare, and more. Still, in most states, participation remains limited and fragmented, leaving federal dollars untapped while colleges simultaneously search for sustainable funding sources to keep workforce training and student support accessible. In fact, most community colleges are disconnected from the SNAP E&T system entirely.

Since 2022, CAEL has worked to support two-year and four-year higher education institutions that want to support their students through SNAP E&T, alongside partners SJI, Grant Associates, and American Public Human Services Association (APHSA).

BridgeSNAP E&T will leverage the strong foundation of CAEL engagement of more than 100 postsecondary institutions across nearly two dozen states that produced a deep, field-tested understanding of where SNAP E&T integration and implementation actually breaks down. This work surfaced a consistent finding that most colleges have limited awareness of SNAP eligibility, minimal understanding of SNAP E&T, and little clarity on how education and supportive services can be structured to align with federal requirements. Even institutions deeply committed to workforce and adult learner success frequently lacked basic information about allowable activities, reimbursement mechanisms, and partnership pathways.

In the state of Washington, two institutions demonstrated the immediate impact for learners when an effective SNAP / SNAP E&T partnership and integration model is adopted. Spokane College leveraged its 50/50 federal funding to hire full-time employees to support students, provide laptops, support tuition, and provide other basic needs on campus like a food bank. Shoreline College put the federal funds to work covering transportation costs, peer mentoring programs, focus groups, and events to attract more SNAP students.

When the administrative burden is high and resources are strained at community colleges, the bridge between adult learners and this essential funding crumbles. CAEL has committed years to building resources, training, and infrastructure that enable community colleges to start or expand their SNAP E&T partnerships.The ECMC Foundation grant will enable CAEL to bring these tools to even more states and colleges. The BridgeSNAP E&T initiative will engage five state cohorts, each including at least three community colleges or one community college system, for a total of approximately 15 institutions.

The cohort members will receive strategic readiness and capacity building through:

• State-based cohort design and peer learning;
• Ecosystem alignment across colleges, workforce boards, and community-based providers; and
• Development of strategies for SNAP E&T’s 50/50 reimbursement to function as a sustainable funding and revenue strategy.

For community colleges looking to advance economic opportunity for learners experiencing financial hardship, or other potential barriers to success, SNAP E&T presents a powerful opportunity to set learners and workers up for success. CAEL is setting out to remove barriers preventing higher education institutions from participating and empowering learners with more resources.

About CAEL

Recognizing that adult learners are the backbone of the U.S. economy, CAEL, a national nonprofit membership organization established in 1974, helps forge a clear, viable connection between education and career success, providing solutions that promote sustainable and equitable economic growth. CAEL opens doors to opportunity in collaboration with workforce and economic developers; postsecondary educators and trainers; employers and industry groups; and foundations and other mission-aligned organizations, engaging with these stakeholders to foster a culture of innovative, lifelong learning that helps individuals, and their communities, thrive. Learn more at cael.org. 

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