Indianapolis—Lumina Foundation for Education awarded more than $5.3 million in the first quarter of 2009. These grants went to 16 organizations in eight states and the District of Columbia. Three of the grants issued in Indiana, Minnesota and Utah will fund the launch of Tuning USA. Tuning is a faculty-led approach that involves students, recent graduates and employers in an effort to establish commonly defined learning outcomes in various areas of study.
“The United States has a great deal to learn from the nearly decade-old tuning effort in Europe,” said Jamie Merisotis, Lumina’s president and chief executive officer. “Tuning, like the work of many other Lumina grantees, will help us establish and balance the relevance of postsecondary programs to societal needs and workforce demands.”
Other grants will be used to sponsor events, expand student services, hold public policy meetings, and support research — all in an effort to enhance college access and success. Grants approved during the quarter are listed below:
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
American Council on Education—$2,305,000 to support the 2009-2011 the KnowHow2GO campaign with national and local outreach and communication activities. KnowHow2GO is an initiative targeted to help low-income and first-generation students in grades 6-8 to take the necessary steps toward college.
Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities—$408,700 to help higher education institutions implement the student learning outcomes section of the Voluntary System of Accountability.
Blue Engine—$10,000 to support leadership development and increase organizational capacity.
Institute for Educational Leadership—$40,000 to communicate the findings of an evaluative research study of the Educational Policy Fellowship Program.
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices - $615,000 to increase awareness of the importance of developing the adult workforce and to help governors in selected states develop an action plan to increase degree attainment among adults.
Youth Transition Funders Group—$10,000 to support the work of the Youth Transition Funders Group.
INDIANA
Indiana Commission for Higher Education (Indianapolis)—$150,000 to test the applicability of the Tuning process at higher education institutions in the United States.
MASSACHUSETTS
American Student Assistance (Boston)—$3,375 to extend College Goal Sunday in Washington, D.C., into 2009.
MICHIGAN
Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (Ann Arbor)—$5,000 to present Corporation for a Skilled Workforce’s “Building Tomorrow’s Workforce: Promoting the Education and Advancement of Hispanic Immigrant Workers in America” research findings at the American Association of Community Colleges’ annual convention.
SPEC Associates (Detroit)—$816,000 to evaluate the Making Opportunity Affordable initiative.
MINNESOTA
Minnesota Office of Higher Education (St. Paul) - $150,000 to test the applicability of the Tuning process at higher education institutions in the United States.
NEW MEXICO
National Institute for Native Leadership in Higher Education (Albuquerque)—$10,000 to provide sponsorship for the 16th Annual National Institute for the National Institute for Native Leadership in Higher Education.
NEW YORK
The College Board (New York) - $118,700 to generate national awareness and support for the proposals to improve the federal student aid system that were issued by the Rethinking Student Aid study group. Rethinking Student Aid provides supplemental support for expanded dissemination and discussion for recommendations with key stakeholders.
Social Science Research Council (Brooklyn)—$407,100 to examine the factors that influence the Collegiate Learning Assessment measures of cognitive growth and post-graduation outcomes of disadvantaged students.
UTAH
Utah Board of Regents (Salt Lake City)—$150,000 to test the applicability of the Tuning process at higher education institutions in the United States.
WASHINGTON
Catalytica (Seattle)—$116,000 to explain and communicate to the field the lessons arising from a three-state exploration of Tuning at U.S. higher education institutions.
About Lumina Foundation
Lumina Foundation for Education, an Indianapolis-based private foundation, strives to help people achieve their potential by expanding access to 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 such as minorities, first-generation college-goers, students from low-income families and working adults. 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 a society can make in its people.
For more information, contact Dianna L. Boyce, Communication Associate, at 317.951.5116.
