News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 13, 2004

College Goal Sunday expands to help more low-income families apply for college financial aid

10 organizations receive grants totaling nearly $1 million

INDIANAPOLIS—Lumina Foundation for Education today announced the expansion of College Goal Sunday^SM to five exploratory states and five implementation states—Alaska, Illinois, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada and Texas. These states join successful College Goal Sunday programs in Arizona, California, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Wyoming and a combined program serving Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia.

For more than a decade, College Goal Sunday has helped tens of thousands of low-income students and families clear the paperwork hurdle when applying for college financial aid. On one particular day, traditionally a week or two after Super Bowl Sunday, financial aid officers and other qualified volunteers fan out to selected community sites across a state to help families fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the universally required financial aid application. As a prelude to College Goal Sunday, the organizers of each state's campaign launch an extensive public information campaign to reach low-income residents. Campaigns use the news media, direct mail and celebrity appearances at key high schools to inform the public about the importance of an education beyond high school, the availability of financial aid and the existence of College Goal Sunday to help them complete the FAFSA.

"College Goal Sunday fills an important information gap," said Martha D. Lamkin, president and CEO of Lumina Foundation for Education. "Many qualified, low-income students need to receive more information about the availability of financial aid and expert assistance in filling out the paperwork required to qualify for financial aid. This assistance may sound simple, but without this additional help, many students miss this necessary first step to an education beyond high school."

Over the next three years, Lumina Foundation has designated funds and expertise to expand College Goal Sunday across the United States. The Foundation will provide three forms of aid: technical assistance, exploratory grants and implementation grants. Interested organizations begin with an exploratory grant of up to $7,500 to investigate the feasibility of hosting College Goal Sunday in their states.

After a successful planning phase, organizations may apply for an implementation grant. Lumina Foundation contributes up to $250,000 over a three-year period to eligible groups working to establish the College Goal Sunday program in their states. The amount of each grant depends on the size of the population to be served, the scope of the proposed program and the availability of local funding to supplement the Lumina Foundation® grant.

This year, 10 organizations have qualified for grants totaling $890,500, expanding the reach of College Goal Sunday to 20 states and the District of Columbia. The following of those organizations are receiving one-year, $7,500 exploratory grants to plan for College Goal Sunday in their states:

University of Alaska (Fairbanks, AK).
Massachusetts Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (Boston, MA).
Student Assistance Foundation of Montana (Helena, MT).
University and Community College System of Nevada (Las Vegas, NV).
Texas A&M University System (College Station, TX).

The organizations that have qualified for implementation grants to conduct College Goal Sunday for the next three years are as follows:

Illinois State University (Normal, IL) received a $250,000 grant.
Hawaii Association for College Admission Counseling (Honolulu, HI) received a $57,400 grant.
Finance Authority of Maine (Augusta, ME) received a $194,200 grant.
Partnership for Learning (Lansing, MI) received a $201,400 grant.
Missouri Association of Student Financial Aid Personnel (Kansas City, MO) received a $150,000 grant.

College Goal Sunday has proven effective in Indiana for more than a decade. The program began in 1989 as a joint project of the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association (ISFAA) and the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI) with funding from Lilly Endowment, Inc. Over the past 10 years, Lumina Foundation and its predecessor organizations have co-funded the Indiana programs and led the expansion effort in other states.

"Through a combination of Lumina Foundation® grants and support from locally based organizations in each of the involved states, we hope to make College Goal Sunday an effective, national initiative that will help thousands of underserved students achieve their dream of a college education for generations to come," said Lamkin.

About College Goal Sunday
The College Goal Sunday Program was created by the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association (ISFAA), with funding from Lilly Endowment, Inc., and with supplemental support from Lumina Foundation for Education.

About Lumina Foundation
Lumina Foundation for Education, an Indianapolis-based, private, independent foundation, strives to help people achieve their potential by expanding access and success in education beyond high school. Through research, grants for innovative programs and communication initiatives, Lumina Foundation addresses issues surrounding financial access and educational retention and degree or certificate attainment—particularly among underserved student groups, including adult learners. The Foundation bases its mission on the belief that postsecondary education remains one of the most beneficial investments that individuals can make in themselves and that society can make in its people.

For more information, contact Susan Conner at sconner@luminafoundation.org or 317.951.5490.