Get a Mentor
Mentor-Connect offers three types of no-cost mentoring to community colleges seeking to improve technician and related STEM education through projects funded by the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education Program (NSF ATE).
1. Cohort Mentoring (Deadline: First Friday in November of each year)
helps colleges or faculty who have never implemented a NSF ATE grant proposal
2. Second-Chance (Deadline: April 1 of each year)
supports revision of proposals that were declined the first time a proposal was submitted in Track 1 or 2
3. Moving-Up (Deadline: Second Friday of March)
helps colleges that received funding in Track 1 to develop larger ATE Project proposals. (Such proposals may advance the work of the previous project or pursue new goals for improving STEM Education)
4. Co-Mentoring
Provides double support for prospective grantees seeking ATE grant funding. With co-mentoring, a subject-matter-expert (SME) Mentor from an ATE Center and a grant development expert Mentor from Mentor-Connect assist prospective grantees. An application submitted through Mentor-Connect is required to get started working on any type of ATE grant.
Cohort Mentoring Application Process
Mentor-Connect invites applicants from community and technical colleges who are interested in preparing a competitive NSF proposal
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
- Institutions or Faculty new to ATE are encouraged to submit in this track
- Colleges selected are expected to attend two, in-person workshops (Winter & Summer). The winter workshop is typically held at the end of January or the beginning of February. The summer workshop is typically held in conjunction with the High Impact Technology Exchange Conference. Travel support is provided for both workshops.
- Colleges are expected to work with an assigned mentor beginning with the winter workshop through October of the same year as the ATE proposal submission date.
- Colleges must identify a STEM faculty team prior to submission of an application. Teams are required to have two faculty members who teach in STEM disciplines and prepare technicians in advanced technology fields that drive the U.S. economy. Data and outcomes from past cohorts show that a campus-wide commitment to the teams make a huge difference in success. To ensure institution wide commitment to proposal submission success, administrators must be engaged. We encourage the involvement of a grant writer and administrator.
This orientation webinar consists of two parts. The first is an overview of the NSF ATE program and the opportunity for small grant funding. The second part of the presentation explains the opportunities for help with grant funding through the Mentor-Connect program. The Orientation webinar is normally provided in September each year.
To access the "Orientation Webinar," other "Upcoming Technical Assistance Webinars," and additional resources, click here.
- There is no cost to the institution
- Encourages community colleges that have not had an ATE award, or faculty who are new to ATE.
- Stimulates implementation, adaptation, and innovation in ATE-supported areas with an emphasis on STEM/technician education
- Encourages utilization of existing resources developed by ATE projects and centers
- Addresses issues of interest in rural technician education
- Funds budget maximum of $475K for up to 36 months
- Seeks proposals via solicitation: NSF ATE Program Solicitation
- Complete the online application.
- Download the affidavit, complete it, and email it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Additional Mentoring Opportunities
In addition to the first time ATE grant proposal mentoring opportunity cohort mentoring, Mentor-Connect also offers "Second-Chance" and "Moving-Up" mentoring to help advance technician education at no-cost to participating colleges. Read below to see if your institution or 2-year community college may qualify for one of these opportunities.
Second-Chance
Has your college submitted an ATE proposal that was declined? If so, then this service is available at no cost to the colleges accepted for Second-Chance Mentoring.
Moving-Up
Has your college successfully completed a project in Track 1 and wishes to advance the work of the previous project or pursue new technician education goals? If so, then Mentor-Connect invites colleges at no-cost to apply for this "Moving-Up" mentoring service.
Co-Mentoring
Are you are collaborating with a discipline-focused ATE Center such as MNT-EC (Micro Nano Technologies), InnovATEBIO (Biotechnology), or NCAT (Autonomous Technologies) in developing a technical program or project? If so, Mentor-Connect invites two-year college faculty member(s) to apply at no cost for co-mentoring. This co-mentoring will help you prepare your first or next NSF ATE grant proposal. Co-mentoring allows a prospective grantee to work with the technical and discipline expertise (SME) within an ATE Center and also receive grant writing expertise from Mentor-Connect in order to develop a competitive NSF grant proposal.
Testimonials
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Jacob Shiba
Nichol Roe, Jason Jarvinen, Pauline Moroz, Jacob Shiba
Project Name: Tomorrow’s Water Technicians (DUE2452374)
Team: Jacob Shiba, Jason Jarvinen, Pauline Moroz, Nichol Roe
Jason Shiba of Palomar Community College writes
"Mentor Connect was the game changer that helped our program get NSF funding for the first time. The team at Mentor Connect was incredibly supportive and provided invaluable resources to help with the application process. I would highly recommend this for anyone looking to get NSF ATE funding."
Image courtesy of Jason Shiba
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Johnston Community College
Ryan Bradshaw, David Oliver, Daphne Lewis, Brian Worley
Project Names: Implementing a Simulated Cyber Range Training Environment to Prepare Cyber Technicians (DUE #2348707), Cohort 11; Integrating Soft Skills with Technical Skills to Produce Next-Generation Cybersecurity Technicians (DUE #2452299), Moving Up.
Team: Cohort 11 - Ryan Bradshaw, PI; David Oliver, Co-PI; Daphne Lewis, Grants Professional; Brian Worley, Administrator.
Johnston Community College has found the support of Mentor-Connect to be truly invaluable.
— Daphne Lewis, Grant Professional“Mentor-Connect’s expert guidance and mentoring greatly strengthened our proposal development and deepened our understanding of the ATE process.”
— Ryan Bradshaw, Principal Investigator“Their guidance elevated the quality of our proposals and enhanced our overall knowledge of the ATE program.”
Image courtesy of
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Linda Burbidge
Drone flying
Project: Development of a Stackable Certificate Program for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (DUE: 2247777)
Team: Linda Burbidge, Angela Bartholomay, Michelle Cauley, Josephine Leader
Linda Burbidge, of Dakota College at Bottineau has had this to say about her experence with Mentor-Connect:
“Mentor Connect helped our team elevate our grant to a level that not only ensured it was selected and funded, but also allowed us to step back and gain clarity on what our goals, objectives and outcomes were. This made plotting the course for our grant activities effortless once we received our funding. Our mentors, Vicki and Christine, were very encouraging and responsive to our many emails”
Image courtesy of Linda Burbidge
