Project Rising TIDE

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TIDE Grants

An opportunity to earn a rewarding role in tech through inclusive and diverse educational experiences. That’s what Grand Circus’ Rising TIDE is about. We exist to help you start a new career in tech – no matter your professional or personal background.

Thanks to the generosity of the Grand Rapids SmartZone, we’re exposing even more people to coding and providing partial grants to cover the cost of a coding bootcamp for those ready to start a new career!

GRANT CRITERIA

  • Be needs-based. This means that you cannot take a bootcamp without financial help. We generally define this as an annual income of $50K per year or less
  • Are a resident of Greater Grand Rapids
  • Are job-seeking. This means you’ll fully participate in the Career Services portion of bootcamp and actively seek employment in Greater Grand Rapids during and after the program
  • Prepare by completing our three pre-bootcamp workshops: 1) Intro to Coding, 2) Fundamentals of Web Development and 3) Intro to Back End and/or Intro to Front End. You can work on these after submitting your application.
  • Pass the Unit 1 at home pre-work

GRANT AMOUNT

Grants are available for $5,995 — covering more than half the bootcamp cost. Students will be responsible for the remainder of the tuition.

Still need help? There are other financing options available.

OTHER ASSISTANCE

We recognize that taking a coding bootcamp can be a big commitment. We strive to remove barriers and ensure a career in technology is accessible to everyone. That’s why TIDE Grant recipients are eligible to receive additional funding to help with things like having a reliable laptop, transportation, downtown parking costs and childcare. An admissions team member will discuss your options more in detail during the application process.

Getting Started

NOW WHAT?

Apply to an upcoming bootcamp.

Attend a workshop and start your journey!

WHAT IS THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS?

  • Apply to the Grand Circus Grand Rapids C# .NET Bootcamp beginning April 22
  • Attend a bootcamp interview, available via Skype or in person (invite only)
  • Complete and pass the Unit 1: at-home pre-work
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What is TIDE?

Project Rising TIDE is made possible through a partnership with Grand Circus and the City of Grand Rapids Smart Zone. TIDE connects local residents to introductory and advanced coding training opportunities while enhancing and diversifying the tech talent pool to support local companies. We believe that “a rising tide lifts all boats.” By actively supporting both people and businesses, we all grow stronger together.

PROJECT RISING TIDE IS ALL ABOUT:

TECHNOLOGY – Technology is one of the fastest growing industries in the U.S. Our coding bootcamps train people in the most in-demand programming languages and soft skills while cultivating the network they need to jump-start their career.

INCLUSION  – When you’re here, you’re family. You don’t need to be a certain age, from a particular background or have a degree to be successful in tech. Whether you’re a student or just visiting, we always strive to make you feel welcomed and supported — no matter where you are in your journey.

DIVERSITY – The tech community should reflect the makeup of our community, and Grand Circus is doing our part to get us there. We offer automatic diversity scholarships for women, people of color, veterans, and members of the LGBT community. We’ve been able to become a leader in making tech more diverse with one-third of our bootcamp graduates being women and 30% people of color.

EDUCATION – Grand Circus has proudly trained more than a thousand students in programming. If you want to launch a tech career, you’re in the right place! Everything from our introductory workshops, rigorous coding classes to our career assistance coaching is about preparing our students for a successful career.

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