Accreditation and grant guidance, grounded in direct experience.
Bangera & Associates advises colleges and universities on accreditation and on the grant strategy that funds their mission. We help you prepare for high-stakes reviews, and we help you find, plan, write, and strengthen the proposals that support your work.
Founded by Dr. Gita Bangera, former Senior Vice President at the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).
Twenty-five years in higher education, seen from every seat.
Faculty. Dean. Chief Academic Officer. Accreditor. That range shapes every engagement.
Before NWCCU, Dr. Bangera spent nearly two decades in academic leadership at Bellevue College, founding the RISE Learning Institute, leading faculty through Guided Pathways and Achieving the Dream initiatives, and serving as Interim Vice President of Instruction and Acting Co-President.
At NWCCU, she led accreditation reviews for institutions across the Pacific Northwest and built the Commission's first formal process for approving Prison Education Programs, work that continues to be a rare, specialized point of expertise in this field.
She is also an experienced National Science Foundation Principal Investigator, and has served on multiple NSF review panels, both as a member and as a chair, evaluating proposals for federal funding.
Support for the moments that matter most in your accreditation and funding cycles.
Accreditation Report Writing & Review
Drafting support and critical review of Annual, Mid-Cycle, PRFR, and Year Seven Self-Study reports against Commission expectations.
Standards Gap Analysis
A standard-by-standard read that identifies where evidence is strong and where documentation is needed before submission.
Mock Visits & Evaluator Readiness
Simulated site visits with realistic evaluator questioning to prepare faculty, staff, and leadership for the real thing.
Substantive Change Planning
Guidance on whether an institutional change triggers a substantive change review, and preparation of the submission itself.
Prison Education Program Preparation
Specialized substantive change support for launching PEPs, including correctional-partner coordination and site-visit protocol.
Institutional Strategy & Planning
Strategic planning facilitation, assessment design, and governance support grounded in accreditation-ready practice.
Grant Strategy Advisory
Support at every stage of the grant cycle, drawn from direct experience as a funded NSF Principal Investigator and review panelist. The first proposal the firm helped write was funded at $3 million.
01Identifying
Matching your institution's priorities and capacity to federal, state, foundation, and corporate funding opportunities worth pursuing.
02Strategic planning
Building a multi-year funding plan that links grants to your mission, your strategic priorities, and your accreditation work, with realistic timelines and staffing.
03Writing
Developing and drafting proposals, from the narrative and project design to the budget justification, written to the funder's review criteria.
04Reviewing
A reviewer's read of your draft before submission, scored against the published criteria, with specific revisions to strengthen it.
Engagements are scoped, not open-ended.
Clear scope. A defined deliverable. A timeline that respects your internal deadline.
Every engagement begins with a scoping conversation to understand your timeline, your internal review process, and where you most need an outside, experienced read. From there, work is structured around a defined deliverable, whether that's a gap analysis memo, a mock visit readiness report, or a substantive change submission, rather than open-ended hours.
Most current engagements are within the NWCCU region, drawing on direct familiarity with the Commission's standards and expectations.
Let's talk about where you are in the cycle.
Every engagement starts with a short conversation about your timeline and what you're preparing for. Reach out directly to get started.