March 12, 2026
Barrier Removal – Growing Institutional Capacity grants support colleges and universities to expand mental health supports, food access and coordinated student services
LANSING, Mich. – More than $1 million in Barrier Removal – Growing Institutional Capacity grants have been awarded across three Michigan colleges and universities to help strengthen support systems for students facing basic needs challenges. including food insecurity, mental health needs, and other essential supports. This investment is part of the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential’s (MiLEAP) $45 million Student Success Grant program, which supports institutions across the state that are eliminating barriers for students who are facing basic needs insecurity. Improving access to critical student services will lead directly to increases in graduation rates.
“For many students, the biggest threat to graduation isn’t academics it’s life circumstances,” said Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea, MiLEAP director. “When a student can’t afford groceries, loses housing, or struggles to access mental health support, completing a degree becomes far more difficult. This funding helps colleges put stronger systems in place so students can stay focused on their education and complete their degrees.”
Awarded across multiple cycles, Barrier Removal – Growing Institutional Capacity grants help colleges move beyond a reactive approach to student emergencies, helping reach students and provide critical services before a crisis emerges so they stay enrolled and on track. Awards range from $100,000-$400,000 with grant terms of one to three years.
Cycle 4 recipients include:
Lake Michigan College (LMC) $400,000 (2-year grant term)
LMC will strengthen campus basic needs supports by launching a digital mental health intervention tool, expanding capacity to manage food pantry demand, and establishing a centralized Community Resource Center to connect students directly with essential services.
Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) $251,942 (3-year grant term)
GRCC will expand mental health supports and improve how the college identifies and responds to student needs, including training faculty and staff to better connect students to available resources and activities designed to increase student awareness and the use of existing campus resources.
Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) $399,995 (3-year grant term)
SVSU will implement its “Cardinal Thrives” initiative to centralize student services and make it easier for students to access resources that support their overall well-being and academic success.
“Barrier Removal – Growing Institutional Capacity grants help colleges strengthen and better coordinate the support systems students rely on every day,” said Sarah Szurpicki, deputy director for the Office of Higher Education at MiLEAP. “Too many college students are struggling to meet their basic needs, and colleges want to respond systemically. These grants will help students stay enrolled and continue progressing in their education.”
Together, these investments respond directly to findings from the Michigan College Student Basic Needs Task Force report, which identified food insecurity, housing instability, childcare access, and technology gaps as major barriers to college completion. The report found that 20% of Michigan undergraduates experienced low or very low food insecurity in the past 30 days, while more than half screen positive for anxiety or depression, though many lack access to treatment.
By helping institutions build sustainable support systems, MiLEAP is working to ensure more students stay enrolled, graduate on a path to high-wage, in-demand careers while moving the state closer to its Sixty by 30 goal of increasing the number of working-age adults with a skill certificate or degree to 60% by 2030.
For more information about MiLEAP’s student success initiatives, visit the MiLEAP website.
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About MiLEAP:
Established by Governor Whitmer in 2023, MiLEAP’s mission is to improve outcomes from birth to postsecondary so anyone can ‘make it in Michigan’ with a solid education and a path to a good-paying job. To learn more about MiLEAP, go to Michigan.gov/MiLEAP.
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