Deadline: 16-Sep-2025
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is accepting applications for the PrepareCTP Seed Grant Program, which supports partnership building at community colleges and similar two-year degree-granting institutions to prepare skilled technical workers in the chemical enterprise, known as chemical technical professionals (CTPs). This program is part of ACS’s broader commitment to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community of chemistry professionals and aligns with its “Fostering a Skilled Technical Workforce” strategic initiative launched in 2021.
The initiative focuses on recruiting and engaging a diverse pool of students and potential employees to meet workforce needs in the chemical industry. It aims to increase awareness of the wide range of careers in the skilled technical workforce and to build partnerships through coordinated collaboration among stakeholders essential to recruiting and preparing future CTPs. The program addresses the growing demand for skilled technical workers, with the National Academies of Science estimating a shortfall of nearly 3.4 million prior to 2022.
The PrepareCTP Seed Grant provides support for activities such as student stipends or scholarships, faculty workload release, instrumentation purchases, and initiatives that prepare and recruit CTPs while establishing partnerships with chemistry-related employers in the local community. For the fiscal year 2026, several awards will be made, each with a maximum budget of $20,000 for a one-year period.
Eligible institutions must be community colleges in the United States offering associate degrees, certificates, or skills training programs that prepare students for chemistry-related careers not requiring a bachelor’s degree. The site leader should be a faculty member engaged in teaching or administering chemical science courses at the award site. While a degree in chemistry is not required, the leader must have the necessary knowledge and skills to teach the curriculum, as determined by the institution.
For more information, visit ACS.
