GradGuard Announces Fall 2026 College Life Protected Grant Recipients
GradGuard has announced the recipients of the College Life Protected (CLP) grants for the fall 2026 term. Jacob Little of East Central College and Felecia Theune of the University of Miami were selected from more than 40 applications submitted during this grant cycle.
College Life Protected, a social purpose entity founded by GradGuard in 2020, supports projects that help students navigate the financial and personal challenges of college life. Its work ranges from building financial literacy to strengthening the systems that help students remain enrolled and on track to graduate.
This term’s recipients advance that mission in two distinct ways. One project will create a more welcoming and engaging environment for students at a commuter campus, while the other will generate new research to support a rapidly growing but understudied student population.
Jacob Little, East Central College: Building a Space Students Choose Over Their Cars
Jacob Little, on behalf of the TRIO Student Support Services program at East Central College, received a $1,500 grant to transform the program’s Learning Lab into a space where students want to spend time and to launch a financial literacy workshop series within it.
East Central is a commuter campus, and many of its students are nontraditional learners who have long gaps between classes. Rather than spending that time in campus common areas, many students wait in their cars. The project aims to create an environment that draws students inside, encourages them to connect with one another, and helps them engage more fully with the institution.
East Central has invited GradGuard to participate in planning the financial literacy workshop series, a collaboration the GradGuard team looks forward to supporting. The award also marks a notable milestone as the first financial literacy grant provided through College Life Protected.
In a LinkedIn post announcing the grant recipients, Little shared that he was “so grateful to receive essential support in our mission to support our students.”
Felecia Theune, University of Miami: Researching the Needs of Online Graduate Students
Felecia Theune, a part-time faculty member and researcher within UOnline, the University of Miami’s online graduate unit, received a $1,500 grant to study the persistence and sense of belonging of online graduate students.
Online graduate education has grown rapidly in recent years, but research on how institutions can best support these students has not kept pace. Millions of graduate students now learn online, yet limited national research has examined their persistence, sense of belonging, or the institutional practices that contribute to their success.
Theune’s project will synthesize existing research on peer support and relational isolation among online adult graduate learners. She will then translate those findings into a practical framework that program administrators can use to support this growing student population.
Commenting on GradGuard’s LinkedIn announcement, Theune wrote, “Your support advances my ongoing work on the Peer Cluster Framework, a practical approach to strengthening relational support in online graduate education. The framework explores how small, stable, intentionally structured peer groups can help learners feel more visible, connected, and supported as they move through demanding academic programs.”
Two Projects, One Mission
Although their approaches differ, both projects reflect the broader mission of College Life Protected. Little’s project focuses on removing barriers and building a stronger sense of belonging for students on campus. Theune’s project seeks to generate new knowledge that can help institutions improve outcomes for a rapidly growing student population.
To learn more about College Life Protected and how to apply during future grant cycles, visit collegelifeprotected.org.
