The mission of the Teagle Foundation and the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, in the context of the Transfer Pathways to the Liberal Arts initiative, is to support and enhance the accessibility of liberal arts education. They aim to bring the lifelong benefits of a liberal arts education to students historically excluded from higher education, including low-income, first-generation, students of color, and immigrant students, viewing community colleges as essential gateways.
The Transfer Pathways to the Liberal Arts initiative focuses on fostering academic partnerships between public two-year and private four-year colleges to facilitate the transfer and completion of baccalaureate degrees in the liberal arts. It offers grants ranging from $25,000 for 6-12 months of planning to $350,000 for 24-36 months of implementation, with the grant size depending on institutional involvement and project scope. This initiative seeks to build comprehensive curricular frameworks ensuring aligned learning objectives and credit transferability between community colleges and independent colleges, promoting timely bachelor's degree completion in the liberal arts. Priority is given to projects that take statewide, regional, or consortial approaches to liberal arts transfer, involving multiple four-year independent and community college partnerships.