Montgomery county gear up consortium (mcguc)

The Montgomery County GEAR UP Consortium received a $1.27M Project Grant awarded October 1, 2025, by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education under the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP, CFDA 84.334). The grant funds comprehensive support services designed to improve secondary school completion and postsecondary readiness among low-income students in the Norristown, Pennsylvania area through September 30, 2026. Deliverables include academic counseling, financial aid guidance, mentoring, tutoring, and scholarship assistance.

The Norriton Area School District serves as the lead awardee for this consortium grant, which is structured as a partnership between local educational agencies and degree-granting institutions of higher education. GEAR UP's funding model supports six- to seven-year grants that typically require substantial non-federal matching or cost-share contributions, with this award representing one of multiple partnership-level grants funded under the program in the most recent funding cycle.