Two-year colleges (2YCs) educate a considerable portion of the nation's undergraduates, including those in chemistry and other STEM majors. Furthermore, a substantial proportion of underrepresented ethnic minorities commence their post-secondary education in 2YCs, along with a significant number of future K-12 teachers who complete their science courses in 2YCs. Considering the contribution of 2YCs to the education of the future STEM workforce, it is imperative that 2YCs students receive exceptional science education. The CCLI program is one of the most important NSF program to support innovation in undergraduate chemical education. More than one-third of undergraduates are educated in 2YCs, yet the number of CCLI awards granted to chemistry departments in 2YCs is exceedingly disproportionate. This project is providing 2YC chemistry faculty opportunities to enhance their ability to prepare quality grant proposals intended for submission to the CCLI program. Chemical educators from both 2YCs and four-year institutions who have been successful in acquiring CCLI funding and managing CCLI-funded projects are leading this project. A one and half day workshop, offering 2YC chemistry faculty comprehensive training in grant proposal preparation, is being followed with post-workshop support to assist the participants in CCLI proposal preparation. The project is including no less than twenty percent of participants from underrepresented groups. Furthermore, this project is catalyzing collaboration between the community of 2YC chemistry educators and the leadership within the Chemical Education Research (CER) group, fostering dissemination of the valuable discoveries and methodologies uncovered by the CER leaders, enhancing the capacity of chemists in 2YCs to educate their students.
