News Release
December 05, 2005
Displaced students to receive $3 million in hurricane relief funds
Indianapolis – Lumina Foundation for Education, Scholarship America and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) have announced a joint relief effort to aid low-income college students who have been displaced by hurricanes this year.Lumina Foundation awarded a $1 million grant to Scholarship America to support its Disaster Relief Fund for Postsecondary Education, specifically for four-year students and institutions.
In conjunction with the aid to Scholarship America, Lumina Foundation also awarded $2 million to AACC to provide monetary assistance to part- and full-time community and technical college students affected by hurricanes in Louisiana and Mississippi. AACC will enlist the assistance of Scholarship America in disbursing the funds.
“The Foundation recognizes that the devastation caused by the hurricanes in the Gulf Coast region has serious financial implications for thousands of displaced students. The grants offer emergency assistance to alleviate some of these financial hardships,” said Martha D. Lamkin, president and chief executive officer of the Indianapolis-based foundation. “The Foundation is pleased to support Scholarship America and the American Association of Community Colleges in their efforts to assist these students.”
This Disaster Relief Fund will work through colleges and university financial aid offices to distribute stipends of up to $1,000 to low-income students who have been affected by the hurricanes. The awards may be used for tuition, fees, books, room and board, or other education-related expenses.
“Access to higher education will be an essential part of the rebuilding process for families affected by this tragedy,” said Major General Clifford L. Stanley, USMC (retired), Ed.D., president of Scholarship America. “When we help those who seek an education, we are improving their lives and the quality of life for others in their community.”
Eligible institutions include two- or four-year colleges, technical colleges and four-year universities located in federally declared disaster areas, as well as institutions outside the disaster areas that have enrolled at least five financially needy students from the affected areas or those who have been displaced from institutions located in those areas.
“The availability of these substantial new funds offers new hope for thousands of students whose learning opportunities and futures might otherwise have been permanently disrupted,” said George R. Boggs, president of the American Association of Community Colleges. “Further underscoring their strong commitment to community colleges and their students, Lumina Foundation has been the first to step forward with major support, and we thank them for their generosity. We hope their example will inspire and challenge other foundation and business leaders.”
Scholarship America® has a proven record of creating and administering scholarship programs supporting students through times of crisis. Within a week of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Scholarship America created the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund®, along with the Lumina Foundation, to provide scholarships through the year 2030 to dependents of those deceased or permanently disabled. Scholarship America’s experience and infrastructure again enabled the nonprofit organization to work quickly to bring its mission to students affected by the 2004 and 2005 hurricanes in the form of the Disaster Relief Fund for Postsecondary Education, developed with an initial grant from USA Funds.
Last year, Scholarship America (www.scholarshipamerica.org) awarded more than $180 million to more than 119,000 students. Since its founding in 1958, Scholarship America has awarded more than one billion dollars to over one million students. Lumina and Scholarship America also recently teamed up on a three-year pilot project to provide emergency aid for community college students who might otherwise drop out of school.
About Lumina Foundation for Education
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 grants for research, innovation, communication, and evaluation, as well as policy education and leadership development, Lumina Foundation addresses issues that affect access and educational attainment among all students, particularly 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 them, and that society can make in its people.
About Scholarship America
Scholarship America, the nation’s largest nonprofit, private-sector scholarship and educational support organization, carries out its mission to expand access to educational opportunities and encourage academic achievement through its three primary programs: Dollars for Scholars, Scholarship Management Services, and ScholarShop. Scholarship America has distributed more than $1 billion to nearly one million students through its scholarship and educational support programs since its founding in 1958.
About American Association of Community Colleges
Based in Washington, D.C., the American Association of Community Colleges is a national association representing the nation’s close to 1,200 accredited community, junior and technical colleges. The colleges comprise the largest sector of higher education, serving almost half (46 percent) of U.S. undergraduates, an estimated 10.6 million students each year.
Contact:
Dollyne Sherman
Lumina Foundation for Education
dsherman@luminafoundation.org
317.951.5493
Norma G. Kent
American Association of Community Colleges
nkent@aacc.nche.edu
202.728.0200, ext. 209
Janine Krantz Fugate
Scholarship America
jkrantsfugate@scholarshipamerica.org
952.830.7307
