News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2004

Lumina Foundation announces grants

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation for Education has announced 11 grants totaling $1.25 million to expand college access and student success nationwide. The grants were approved in the first quarter of 2004.

“Our grants in the first quarter focused on policies and programs affecting student access and success, with special emphasis on low-income students, adult learners and students of color,” said Martha D. Lamkin, president and CEO of Lumina Foundation. “The Foundation continues to address the multiple barriers that impede access to and success in postsecondary education among traditionally underserved groups.”

Grants approved by Lumina Foundation in the first quarter of 2004 are listed below, grouped by the Foundation’s major priorities.

Access

Many financial and nonfinancial factors inhibit college access. The following grants address some of these barriers:

National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (Washington, DC) – A $44,800 grant to create, test and promote a new financial aid need-analysis model for independent students.

National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (Boulder, CO) – A $135,500 grant to build state-level indices of educational parity.

Pew Hispanic Center (Los Angeles, CA) – An $84,250 grant for the Excelencia Initiative to provide grant-makers and policy-makers information about the current condition of Hispanic students in postsecondary education and the policies and practices that affect them.

McCabe Fund
This initiative supports organizations that enable students — particularly first-generation college students, low-income students and students of color — to gain access to postsecondary education. The McCabe Fund provides modest, competitive grants for programs that work directly with students to improve access to postsecondary education. Grant proposals for this initiative are accepted by invitation only and span two years. The grant listed below was awarded as part of the McCabe Fund.

National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP) (Washington, DC) – A $159,000 grant to convene 50 McCabe Fund grantees at a two-day seminar on June 6-7, 2004, in order to build grantees’ success in working with students, assist grantees in diversifying their funding sources, and highlight successes and lessons learned. NCCEP will produce a publication highlighting the McCabe Fund programs for distribution to the seminar attendees.

College Goal Sunday
College Goal Sunday^SM provides free information and assistance to families applying for college financial aid in 15 states and the District of Columbia. Financial aid professionals in these states help families complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The following grant is part of the College Goal Sunday program.

Texas A&M University (College Station, TX) – A $7,500 grant to develop a plan for College Goal Sunday in Texas.

Student Success/Attainment

Once in college, many students confront stumbling blocks that inhibit them from reaching their educational goals. The following grants address issues regarding student persistence and goal attainment.

Council for Opportunity in Education (Washington, DC) – A $68,300 grant to support the publication and dissemination of the final report that highlights successful programs and implementation strategies at four-year colleges that serve low-income students.

Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI) – A $382,578 grant to fund the Lumina Foundation dissertation fellowship program managed by the Association for the Study of Higher Education.

Adults Learners

Adult students (25 years of age and older) are becoming the new majority on campuses across the nation, and many of these students face language barriers and deficiency in academic preparation. To succeed in school, these students need very different services. The following grant addresses the needs of adult learners.

National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (Washington, DC) – A $200,000 supplemental grant to include three additional states in Learning Academies formed to encourage state policies that expand community college access and attainment for low-income adults.

Special Grants

The Foundation Center (New York, NY) – A $25,000 grant to create a definitive record of philanthropy in the aftermath of September 11, 2001.

Indiana University Center for Philanthropy (Indianapolis, IN) – A $48,900 grant to support a study regarding knowledge management for foundations.

American Institutes for Research (AIR) (Washington, DC) – A $90,400 grant to print, publish and promote the AIR report, Workforce-Contingent Financial Aid: How States Link Financial Aid to Employment.

CONTACT:
Dollyne Sherman, Director of Communication
Lumina Foundation for Education
317-951-5493
www.luminafoundation.org

Lumina Foundation for Education, a 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 access and success — particularly among underserved student groups, including students 25 years of age and older . 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.