Adult Education Consortium Grants
Grant Description
Minnesota’s Adult Education system is made up of 39 grantees, also referred to as consortia, that each receive a grant of State Adult Education funding. The majority of consortia also receive a grant of federal Adult Education funding. These state and federal grants are used to fund all aspects of running Adult Education programming, including staffing, materials, programming space, marketing, and other costs. State and Federal Adult Education grant funds must be used exclusively on Adult Education programming for eligible adult students. These grants may not be used to fund or support any services to K-12 students.
Adult Education consortium grants are awarded to a single fiscal agent entity, which is in most cases a school district. In other consortia the fiscal agent is a correctional facility, tribal nation, or CBO. Within each consortium, the fiscal agent may flow state and/or federal Adult Education funding downstream to other approved Adult Education providers, as long as all requirements and restrictions of the funding are met. The fiscal agent entity is responsible for reporting requirements for the entire consortium, including any downstream providers/subgrantees.
In the 24-25 school year, the total amount of State Adult Ed funding awarded to consortia was approximately $52 million. Individual grants to 39 consortia ranged from $50,000 to $8 million, with a median award amount of $671,000.
In the 24-25 school year, the total amount of Federal Adult Ed funding awarded to consortia was approximately $5.7 million. Individual grants to 36 consortia ranged from $7,000 to $900,000, with a median award amount of $70,000.
Current Grantees
The list below includes all Minnesota Adult Education Consortium grantees, and indicates whether they receive state and federal funding, or both. Note that only the fiscal agent entity is listed on this document, but many consortia include multiple Adult Education providers.
State and Federally Funded Adult Education Consortia
- Type:
- Directory
- Year:
- 2025
- Format:
Annual Application Process for Current Grantees
The annual application for the upcoming fiscal year/school year is posted on the MDE website in April or May each year. Application materials must be developed and submitted through the Minnesota Education Grants System (MEGS). Applications are due on June 1 (or on the first workday of the month if June 1 falls on a weekend).
For more information on the 2025 Annual Application, view the Reporting Requirements page.
Applications for New Grantees & Reauthorization Processes for Current Grantees
All grantees/consortia that receive annual state and federal Adult Ed grants must go through an extensive reauthorization process periodically. The reauthorization processes for state and federal funds are run separately and happen during different years. New applicants follow these same processes in order to be eligible to receive state and/or federal funding.
State reauthorization/new applicant process
The reauthorization/new applicant process for grantees to receive annual state Adult Education grants is also known as the ABE Narrative. Existing consortia must complete the ABE Narrative once every six years, and there is a rolling list of narrative due dates, with a group of 7 to 9 consortia required to submit the narrative each year. The ABE Narrative must also be completed by new applicants seeking approval for a State Adult Education grant. Visit the ABE Narratives page for more details.
Federal reauthorization/new applicant process
Federal Adult Education grants are awarded on a competition cycle that is currently set to six years. The most recent competition was held in 2022, and eligible providers who were approved through that application process can receive annual Federal Adult Education grants through the 2027-28 school year. The next Federal Adult Education grant competition is scheduled to occur in 2028, at which point all current grantees must reapply in order to be considered for continuing funding, and new eligible applicants may also apply.
Reporting Requirements
Reporting requirements for Adult Education Consortium grantees can be found on the Reporting Requirements page of this website.