America needs clear paths to learning and success after high school that make the nation stronger and meet the needs of today’s student.

No matter where you come from, what you look like, or how much money your family has, you should have what you need to learn, grow, and thrive. Read more about Lumina’s Commitment to Racial Equity.

Lumina Foundation works in partnership with education and business leaders, civil rights organizations, policymakers, and individuals who want to reimagine how and where learning occurs.

AREAS OF FOCUS

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Justice for Today's Students
Policies, practices, and beliefs—rooted in history and still affecting people today—keep many Black, Native American, and Hispanic people from the education and skills they need.
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Our commitment to racial equity
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Lumina wants to ensure quality education for all Americans.
Find out how Lumina's efforts support the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal of Quality Education.
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The Nation’s Progress

The United States faces an urgent and growing need for talent. Many more people of all races, ethnicities, ages, and income levels will need college degrees, certificates, industry certifications, and other credentials of value to join or remain in the middle class.

Success Stories

Aggies Elevated students Bret Giebel (left) and Willy Wilson.
Focus Magazine
Utah State program links students to good jobs
Aggies Elevated is a two-year program at Utah State University that is designed to serve students with intellectual disabilities well – not merely by providing opportunities for learning, but also by helping students land competitive, “real-world” employment after they graduate. The staff-intensive Aggies Elevated program typically serves about 15 students at a time. As of…
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Daniel Castellanos shows off his signature salad outside The Pressroom restaurant in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Focus Magazine
‘Special ed goes to college’? Not at Millersville
The goal of the Integrated Studies program at Millersville University is to fully merge its students into college life. The 25 students on the university’s southeastern Pennsylvania campus live with roommates who aren’t part of the program. No classes or social events are designed exclusively for them. They join clubs on campus, but they do…
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Focus Magazine
Western Kentucky serves students on the spectrum
Western Kentucky University’s Circle of Support surrounds high-functioning students on the autism spectrum. Within the Circle—which is a feature of the university’s Kelly Autism Program (KAP)—services are robust: everything from single-room housing to frequent attendance at required “study table” sessions. The sessions are staffed by KAP employees who tutor students on academics while also advising…
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Banner image from CivicLab's website shows a group of people collaborating around a table with a giant mind map shared between them.
Jan. 19, 2021
CivicLab Chosen by Lumina Foundation to Serve and Expand Talent Hubs Network
Today CivicLab, a program of the Community Education Coalition of Columbus, Indiana, announced that it has been chosen by Lumina Foundation to assume responsibility for Lumina’s national Talent Hub network and Lumina’s Community Network.
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Illustration of line of humans holding hands in silhouette against a rising sun.
Jan. 14, 2021
Changes in how Lumina makes grants and awards contracts will highlight the need for racial justice and equity
By Paola Santana, Amanda DeLaRosa
Lumina Foundation has a long-standing commitment to achieving racial equity—the point when an individual’s race or ethnicity no longer predicts educational outcomes. Creating a learning system in which Black, Hispanic, and Native American people are a priority was crucial to our launch 20 years ago.
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Silent protesters march in the rain through neighborhoods in Seattle calling attention to the Black Lives Matter Movement and Police Brutality.
Jan. 13, 2021
Lumina awards an initial round of nearly $3.2 million in grants to 11 organizations working to achieve racial justice
INDIANAPOLIS—Lumina Foundation has released the first grants from a $15 million Racial Justice and Equity Fund to national and Indianapolis-based organizations that focus on eradicating systemic racism in fields that align with or complement the foundation’s work.
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Rioter in crowd shouting into a megaphone.
Jan. 12, 2021
Education and active citizenship in the age of rising authoritarianism
By Jamie Merisotis
The days between now and Jan. 20 will feel like some of the longest and shortest of our lives.  We live with uncertainty, fear and a palpable amount of dread—about what President Trump may do, about the actions of those who have been radicalized by his ideas and words, and about the feckless elected leaders…
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Screen capture shows the four participants in the online discussion. Katherine Wheatle in the top right corner is talking while the others are listening.
Jan. 12, 2021
Time for change in this critical moment for higher ed racial equity, cost of college
By Dakota Pawlicki
“I think it’s fantastic that we are seeing equity creep into conversations about what higher education policy should look like. But, I’m really concerned that I’m already seeing it creep on out,” Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, Jesse O’Connell, and Amanda DeLaRosa offer their optimism and concerns about higher education in 2021.
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Insurrection in the capitol.
Jan. 7, 2021
Amid our shock and revulsion, we must summon the courage—even optimism—to do what we can to preserve American democracy
By Jamie Merisotis
Earlier today, I met with the senior leadership and staff of Lumina Foundation. I had intended to talk about the work ahead and my renewed sense of optimism and resolve after a restful, family-centered holiday season. While I still do feel that way because of my belief in the justice of our mission of helping…
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Factory worker with braided red hair in orange safety suit, hardhat, COVID mask and glove operates a complex control panel with dozens of dials and buttons and a built-in flat panel screen.
Dec. 18, 2020
‘Bridge builders’ are hastening a global shift toward the work of the future: human work
By Jamie Merisotis
Nations everywhere are grappling with how to prepare for the work of the future, and finding new reasons for optimism as the global economy digs out from the wreckage caused by COVID-19.
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Dec. 17, 2020
Photo essay: The college climb steepens
By Rachel Bujalski
The coronavirus has raised new challenges for low-income students from unexpected expenses to sudden shifts to online learning. This is a candid window into the reality of these students’ lives fighting for their futures.
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Black student reading and wearing COVID mask.
Dec. 15, 2020
Will they stay or will they go? A new poll reveals college students’ concerns amid the pandemic
By Courtney Brown
A new Gallup poll of U.S. college students offers an insightful – and sobering – glimpse into how the pandemic is disrupting students’ plans to stay in college, learn online, and earn their degrees.
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Photo of Paul Helmke smiling and conversing with a colleague.
Dec. 14, 2020
Former Indiana mayor’s journey demonstrates the ‘integrator’ mindset of flexible learning
By Jamie Merisotis
All around us there are institutions, businesses, and individuals who are preparing people for the new world of work as automation and artificial intelligence transform society. That’s one of the themes in my new book, Human Work in the Age of Smart Machines.
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Stock photo of a human controlling a robot with a handheld remote.
Dec. 9, 2020
In the work of the future, abilities matter most and the learning never stops
By Jamie Merisotis
It’s the learning, stupid. That’s the mantra we should be following as we consider the gut-wrenching implications of a rapidly changing society, radically transforming because of technology and supercharged by a global pandemic. But once again, we are facing an economic crisis where myriad solutions are being proposed but too few focus on preparing people…
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Dec. 9, 2020
Higher education’s $50 billion problem
By Brad Kelsheimer, Courtney Brown
At a time when society needs it more than ever, higher education in the United States is in crisis.     Costs to students and their families continue to rise, states are questioning their level of investment, quality is eroding, racial attainment gaps are increasing, operating deficits at the institution level are accelerating, schools are closing,…
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Students talking in COVID masks.
Dec. 8, 2020
Community college strengths are helping students through the pandemic
By Jamie Merisotis
Community colleges form a backbone of our nation’s higher education system, enrolling more than one-third of all U.S. college students. Already widely admired, the colleges have strong ties to their communities, and the pandemic has only strengthened these ties.
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Long shot of cranes constructing highrise buildings with an orange sunset behind them.
Nov. 20, 2020
The University of the Republic?
By Jesse O'Connell
It is too soon to draw full and conclusive lessons from the 2020 election, but two things are beyond dispute: Joe Biden has been elected the next President of the United States, and America remains deeply polarized.
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State capitol building with storm clouds in the background.
Nov. 17, 2020
States have to step up to help colleges face the coming budget storm
By Scott Jenkins, Jesse O'Connell
American higher education is in the eye of a hurricane. When the pandemic hit last spring, campuses were buffeted by the frantic transition to remote instruction, lost revenue, and emergency spending on health and safety measures. The country made it through the tough early months with unprecedented cooperation between higher education leaders, faculty members, and…
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report cover detail shows students working together in COVID masks
Nov. 17, 2020
Top higher learning foundations offer pandemic resources for state policymakers and college leaders
INDIANAPOLIS – The COVID-19 pandemic has hit college and university campuses hard. The frantic transition to remote instruction, lost housing and tuition revenues, and emergency spending for added safety measures are taking a toll.
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