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

Adult student standing in front of the Connecticut State Capitol where she works full time.
Focus Magazine
Personal connection helps atypical student find her place
Jean Rienzo is something of an anomaly at Eastern Connecticut State University. She’s a 32-year-old single mother who lives off campus and has a demanding full-time job—certainly not the typical student at a public liberal arts university in New England. Still, Rienzo found her place—and succeeded—with the help of a caring, kindred spirit: her advisor.
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Daniela Figueroa on her “new” campus at Florida International University.
Focus Magazine
Consistent guidance key in navigating the first-year fog
After sailing through high school, Daniela Figueroa almost ran aground during her first year at Miami Dade College. She was overwhelmed by the school’s size and the wide range of choices it presented. Fortunately, the college’s “appreciative advising” program—and the personal bond she forged with her advisor—put her back on course.
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Instructors Lorna Hofer and Kerry Stager sit across from one another at a table in a common campus area.
Focus Magazine
Two educators, a dual role, and a single mission
Lorna Hofer and Kerry Stager aren’t just instructors in business and accounting at Lake Area Technical College; they’re also highly involved advisors. Between them, Hofer and Stager keep close tabs on 80 students at the South Dakota college—not just academically, but personally. It’s a dual role embraced by every faculty member at Lake Area Tech.
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April 20, 2021
Our children will deliver the final verdict. It will hinge on building a racially just society.
By Jamie Merisotis
In the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, guilty on all counts in the death of George Floyd, the verdict stands as a historic moment in the nation’s quest for racial justice. It is a decision we should treat with solemnity and gratitude. Still, a just verdict in a single, high-profile case is…
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William Serrata sitting at a desk in a suit and tie.
April 8, 2021
El Paso Advocate for First-Generation and Hispanic Students Joins Lumina’s Board
INDIANAPOLIS – El Paso Community College President William Serrata has joined Lumina Foundation’s Board of Directors, which today concluded its spring meeting. Earlier this year, the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education honored Serrata for early career achievements.
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A technician measures a machined piece of round brass with calipers.
April 7, 2021
Education: The key to real opportunity—during the pandemic and beyond
By Courtney Brown
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed any number of inequities in American life, but probably none more glaring than the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots. A key determination between the two is education beyond high school.
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This photo shows a man welding.
March 24, 2021
States are using fast, short-term credentials to get workers back on their feet.
By Amber Garrison Duncan, Kermit Kaleba
In recent years, the debates about proposals to expand the federal Pell Grant program to pay for short-term workforce programs offered at community colleges have been lively. Several states have taken matters into their own hands, using federal stimulus dollars to provide aid to adult learners seeking short-term certificates and certifications. These state initiatives offer essential…
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Black, female student on public transit.
March 23, 2021
When it’s time to lay down the law, college students have some friends in high places
By Gretchen Syverud
College students have a powerful friend they may not know about when it comes to protecting their rights in a time of disruption for higher education: their state’s attorney general. Often dubbed “The People’s Lawyer,” the AG is the top legal officer in a state, representing the public interest— including the rights of students—in a…
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March 23, 2021
I’m Asian-American, but hate affects everyone eventually, so let’s fix our problems together
By Tracy Chen
Attacks on Asian-Americans have surged in the past year, one incident after another, until a man with a gun opened fire in an eight-victim shooting spree that only ended when police rammed the suspect’s car off the highway. Most of the victims were mothers, sisters, wives – but above all, fatally, Asian, seemingly the only…
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This is a graphic image of an integrated circuit
March 22, 2021
Robots won’t rule the world, but if we help them, they can improve it
By Jamie Merisotis
There was a time when corporate executives looked at artificial intelligence and other technology and saw them largely, if not solely, as a way to reduce costs. But as AI and algorithms become integral parts of everyday work, smart executives are seeing that the best course of action is a sort of merger of human…
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