Formatting errors affect some grant applications

Associated Press

HELENA, Mont.

Dozens of universities and organizations that applied for federal grants to help young people from poor families prepare for college were turned down by the U.S. Education Department because of mistakes that consisted mostly of incorrect margins, the wrong font or lack of double-spacing.

The rejections have triggered an outcry from members of both parties on Capitol Hill and thrown into jeopardy programs that help thousands of high-school students a year.

Amid the uproar, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos issued a memo late last month saying requests for grants from the federally funded Upward Bound program will no longer be rejected over “formatting” errors in the 65-page application. But congressional aides told The Associated Press that DeVos’ staff informed them last week that the applications turned down in March will not be revisited.

The department did not respond to a request from the AP for confirmation.

“This is the kind of bureaucracy that President Trump ran against,” said Ron Hammond, an aide to Republican Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio, whose district includes Wittenberg University, one of the schools affected.

The next round of applications won’t be held for another five years, and some of the affected schools and groups say their Upward Bound programs may have to shut down.

More than 62,000 high school students around the country receive services from Upward Bound, which seeks to inspire low-income, first-generation and rural students to attend college.