About us
Lumina Foundation for Education, an Indianapolis-based, private, independent foundation, strives to help people achieve their potential by expanding access to and success in education beyond high school.
What we do
Lumina is committed to enrolling and graduating more students from college. In fact, we are the nation's largest foundation dedicated exclusively to increasing students' access to and success in postsecondary education. Our goal is to increase the percentage of Americans who hold high-quality degrees and credentials to 60 percent by 2025.
Lumina pursues this goal in three ways: by identifying and supporting effective practice, by encouraging effective public policy, and by using our communications and convening capacity to build public will for change. We have worked with and made grants to many colleges, universities, peer foundations, associa- tions and other organizations that work to improve student access and outcomes across the nation. In 2009, we approved 136 grants—ranging from $2,500 to more than $4 million—for a total commitment of nearly $58.1 million.
Our mission
The mission of Lumina Foundation for Education is to expand access to postsecondary education in the United States. The Foundation seeks to identify and promote practices leading to improvement in the rates of entry and success in education beyond high school, particularly for students of low income or other underrepresented backgrounds. It likewise seeks improvement in opportunities for adult learners. The Foundation carries out the mission through communicating ideas through reports, conferences and other means and making grants to educational institutions and other nonprofits for innovative programs. It also contributes limited resources to support selected community and other charitable organizations.
Learn more about our President Jamie P. Merisotis and read our Lumina Fact Sheet PDF | 87k | 2 pgs..
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