Application Checklist and Criteria

Application (PDF)
Request for Proposals (PDF)

FIRST OPPORTUNITY PARTNERS (FOP) is the Foundation for Independent Higher Education’s (FIHE) signature initiative. Launched in 2005, FOP strengthens the ability of private higher education to serve first-generation, low-income, minority and new American students (“first opportunity students”). Its three-fold purpose is to broaden the accessibility of higher education, to strengthen student retention and academic experiences, and to prepare students for the future world of work.

The UPS Educational Endowment Fund and gifts from The UPS Foundation have been the primary funding sources for the FOP Venture Fund program. In May 2008, the Wal-Mart Foundation made a $500,000 contribution to this initiative, significantly increasing available funding for the 2009 and 2010 fiscal years.

The FOP Venture Fund supports projects that enhance FOP student access and success through institutional/organizational collaboration. Through the leadership of FIHE’s network of state and regional fundraising organizations, the FOP Venture Fund encourages participation in such efforts from foundations, corporations, government agencies, individuals and other not-for-profit organizations.

Criteria (proposals will be evaluated by the extent to which they fulfill the following):

1. The significance of the problem or need facing FOP students with respect to their access and success in private higher education.
2. Description of the proposed project (i.e., goals, strategies and timelines and defensible budget) and how institutions are working together to increase access and/or enhance achievement within the targeted populations of first-generation, low-income, minority or new American students.
3. The project proposes a creative and relevant solution to this issue.
4. Description of the proposed collaborative effort, the degree (intensity) with which institutions are working together, and the project’s distinctive value.
5. The role and responsibilities of the state/regional association(s) in the project’s implementation.
6. Evidence that the partnering institutions and the Fund have the capacity, knowledge and skill to implement the proposed project.
7. An evaluation plan that is representative of the project’s stated goals and objectives.
8. Description of how the project is a potential model for others.
9. The process by which UPS, the Wal-Mart Foundation, FIHE and the matching organizations will be publicly recognized.

Checklist (please include the following in MS Word (or .pdf) format):

• First Opportunity Partners Venture Fund Application Form (Cover Sheet).
• Proposal narrative addresses the nine selection criteria (see RFP for more detail) - maximum of 5 pages, one of which can be reserved for the evaluation plan.
• Budget (with budget narrative).
• Letter of support from the state association board chair.

Email The Above Required Documents To: jcox@fihe.org

If you have questions about the First Opportunity Partners Venture Fund Request For Proposals or Application, please call Jacalyn Cox (202) 367-0333.