LEAP Tampa Bay College Access Network

The LEAP Tampa Bay network, established in 2016, brings together more than 70 community partners committed to changing lives by connecting residents to education and training beyond high school. This initiative is on the verge of achieving its goal of having 60% of working-age adults in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties hold a degree or high-quality certificate by the end of 2025.

LEAP’s Priorities

Helping people get the education they want — and helping the community get the talent it needs by:

• Increasing opportunities for education and training through easier access to grants, scholarships and tuition reimbursement.
• Building stronger business and education partnerships to develop more local talent for local jobs.
• Supporting clear pathways and shorter, less costly time to completion of certificates and degrees.

How LEAP Tampa Bay Makes A Difference

• College and Career Centers: LEAP and partners piloted the expansion of a high school-based, volunteer-led College and Career Center which has now been built out in 9 schools with grant funded site managers. Early indicators of impact show above average gains in financial aid applications for students at schools with College and Career Centers. 
• Complete Tampa Bay (CTB): In November 2020, LEAP launched CTB, a college success coaching initiative to help students navigate getting into education and training programs and successfully complete them. Our completion coach has assisted more than 1,500 students with information on how to get started with their post-secondary plans and has helped more than 800 students with taking the next step in applying and enrolling in classes. 
• FUSE Scholarship: LEAP and partners established a scholarship for students in the FUSE Guaranteed Admission to USF Program, which has now awarded nearly $2.7 million to over 480 students at HCC, SPC, PHSC & USF since 2018.‍
• Your CollegeCares (YCC): LEAP Tampa Bay – in conjunction with its college and community partners – launched a new website, YourCollegeCares.org, to connect Tampa Bay college students to mental health resources. YCC was created to help destigmatize mental health support and increase access to existing resources on local college and university campuses and in the greater Tampa Bay community.