Indianapolis—Lumina Foundation for Education recently awarded grants for the next phase of the KnowHow2GO (KH2GO) initiative. These grants are designed to help those states involved in the program develop sustainable, high-quality student service and advocacy networks.
The grants will assist states as the primary focus shifts from using media and other communication tools for the KH2GO campaign to creating or strengthening viable networks. These networks will address and impact specific state or regional issues that affect students’ ability to learn the steps it takes to get to college and connects them with caring adults who can mentor them through this process. The grants will also help state-based teams develop networks that share a purpose as they build site-specific models that adapt the national KH2GO campaign to local needs.
“Lumina’s strategic direction includes ensuring that all prospective students are prepared academically, financially and socially for success in college,” stated Jamie Merisotis, president and chief executive officer of Lumina Foundation. “We must work at the state and local level to build sustainable, strategic networks of community-based college and advocacy networks so these students are supported in their quest to attend and succeed in college.”
The KH2GO campaign encourages low-income and first-generation students in grades 8 through 10 to take the steps necessary to prepare for college. In addition to students, the KH2GO campaign also targets their parents and adult influencers to encourage them to start the college preparation process early. Lumina Foundation, the American Council on Education, and the Ad Council, working with several other implementation and intermediary partners, first launched KH2GO in January 2007. KH2GO is a unified, national PSA campaign that combines education, community-based and government partnerships to raise awareness about preparing for college and what it takes to get there.
Five grants have been funded in states or regions to plan implementation for the next phase of KH2GO. These planning grants, ranging from $58,400 to $163,500, include:
- Illinois Student Assistance Commission (Deerfield, Ill.)
- Northwest Education Loan Association (Seattle, Wash.)
- Ohio College Access Network (Columbus, Ohio)
- The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (Lexington, Ky.)
- Southern California College Access Network (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Additionally, organizations in six states will receive funding that they then will re-grant to youth-serving organizations that provide services and support the KH2GO target population. Each of these states received a $140,000 grant:
- EducationQuest Foundation, Inc (Lincoln, Neb.)
