Brand-Building at Community Colleges
In an age of information overload, how do you tell the story of who your college is to students and your community? How do you take charge of your own narrative and showcase all that your college has to offer?
Featured Resources
Some highlights of Lumina's work
We're sharing tools and takeaways from our efforts to create a better-educated nation.
The Great Admissions Redesign
Lumina Foundation is seeking to work with states, higher education systems, and groups of colleges and universities ready to transform how potential students apply, enroll, and access their institutions.
A Stronger Nation
We're tracking America's progress toward the nation's 60% attainment goal.
Community College Challenge
The Million Dollar Community College Challenge team is shining a spotlight on the great work of community colleges around the country.
REACH Collaborative
We're supporting community colleges in six states to create short-term credential-to-degree pathways for adults who are Black, Latino, Hispanic, and Native American.
Changing the Narrative on Student Borrowers of Color
A collection of essays from student loan experts sets the record straight on borrowing among students of color.
Community Grants
Our community grants portfolio supports local organizations in our hometown of Indianapolis and around central Indiana.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Hear stories about how HBCU's help students thrive.
Tuition Reimbursement
Meet a few of the workers and employers participating in tuition reimbursement programs.
Lumina Impact Ventures
Lumina Impact Ventures is the Foundation's impact investing arm partnering with mission-aligned social enterprises.
Local Talent Handbook
A guide for local leaders to build talent pool in their communities.
I Want That Job!
A series from WorkingNation on promising career paths for early career workers
History of Federal Student Aid
A film series documenting the policy and the political origins of federal financial aid programs
Beyond Financial Aid
How colleges can strengthen students’ financial stability, leading to higher completion rates
State Strategy Labs
Lumina supports state leaders’ efforts to increase education levels by offering nonpartisan research, data, peer advice, and technical support.
Degree Qualification Profile
A learning-centered framework for what college graduates should know and be able to do to earn the associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree.
On the Same Page?
Feb. 15, 2022
A report from the American of Association Colleges and Universities examines how undergraduate learning and student success are shaped by an institution’s common learning outcomes and commitment to equity, as well as by specific educational experiences and assessment practices.
Re-Imagining Outcomes-Based Funding
March 31, 2021
One set of policy decisions that higher education advocates are calling into question is how state leaders allocate resources and funds. A new report by The Education Trust analyzes how well existing state policies address equity concerns and makes recommendations for designing and implementing outcomes-based funding (OBF) policies that better advance equity.
The $78 Billion Community College Funding Shortfall
Oct. 7, 2020
A report from the Center for American Progress offers a closer look at the revenue gaps between community colleges and public four-year institutions. The study, which reveals significant inequities, underscores the need for reform.
How Outcomes Metrics Can Better Reflect Community College Performance
Oct. 8, 2019
In the U.S. higher education system, community colleges are heavy lifters: while they make up only about a quarter of the nation’s postsecondary institutions, they serve nearly half of all undergraduate students. But when it comes to evaluating the performance of two-year institutions, traditional outcomes metrics can provide an incomplete picture, failing to account for…
The Rise of Performance-Based Funding
May 7, 2019
Giving more state money to public colleges that perform well on a number of desired outcomes, such as credit completion or graduation rates and retention rewards colleges with strong results.
A Case Study of Performance Funding in Higher Education
Oct. 29, 2018
As this report describes, there is plenty of evidence that points to both the benefits and drawbacks of performance funding policies. This evidence is being used to put forth a number of recommendations to improve the design and function of performance funding at the state level. And many of the recommendations put forth are also…
Outcomes-Based Funding Strategies for Postsecondary Education
March 6, 2018
This brief tells the story of Indiana’s efforts to develop and implement outcomes-based funding (OBF) for public postsecondary education. Indiana’s story is supplemented by a briefer description of efforts in Tennessee.
Taking Stock of Outcomes-Based Funding
Oct. 2, 2017
Concerned with low on-time graduation rates, some state lawmakers are turning to outcomes-based funding as one policy approach to support postsecondary degree attainment and workforce goals.
Connecting State and Institutional Finance Policies for Improved Higher Education Outcomes
July 13, 2016
This paper provides a conceptual framework that examines the interrelationship between state and institutional finance policies, including state appropriations, tuition and financial aid. It explores how state higher education goals can be advanced through outcomes-based funding policies that provide incentives for institutional behavior, and how policies can be designed to maximize student success.
Aligning Student and Institution Incentives in Higher Education Finance
July 13, 2016
Higher education, depending who you talk to, is a generator and transmitter of knowledge, a provider of opportunity and social mobility, a trainer of skilled workers for employers, a driver of economic development or any or all of the above. But alongside its lofty goals, it is also a big, complex $600 billion business that…
Leveraging Outcomes-Based Funding Policies at the Institutional Level
July 13, 2016
Policymakers are moving to outcomes-based funding in an effort to inspire public higher education institutions to drive the transformative change required to expand access, increase graduation rates and contain costs. For outcomes-based funding to have a significant effect on student outcomes, system and institutional leaders must successfully translate these policies into action. In an effort…
Outcomes-Based Funding and Responsibility Center Management
July 13, 2016
State governments serve as a key-funding source for public higher education. Outcomes-based funding is an alternative to other methods of state allocations to institutions, such as base-plus funding, enrollment-based funding, and early performance-centered funding.
Using Real-Time Labor Market Information to Achieve Better Labor Market Outcomes
July 13, 2016
Understanding complex labor markets including the demand for skills is key to guiding our investments in education and training. This is especially true for community colleges responsible for preparing a significant portion of the nation’s workers. These institutions are being increasingly challenged to better align their programs of study with entire economies undergoing restructuring and…
Crowded Out
June 15, 2016
Baseline state funding forecasts for higher education derived from underlying measures of economic growth shows state spending on higher ed is being "crowded out" – falling from around 14 percent of state-sourced spending in the late 1980s to just over 12 percent today.
Financing American Higher Education in the 21st Century
June 15, 2016
Most highly-industrialized countries spend less, both overall and per student, than the United States. There are significant differences in such critical policy arenas as tuitions and fees, financial assistance, and student loan programs.
Linking Appropriations for the Texas State Technical College System to Student Employment Outcomes
March 10, 2016
When the idea of tying appropriations for the public universities in Texas to performance funding first emerged, there was one exception to the opposition from the higher-education establishment: the state’s technical colleges. The 50-year-old Texas State Technical College System jumped at the opportunity to prove its worth to lawmakers and the public.
Higher Education Outcomes-Based Funding Models and Academic Quality
March 10, 2016
Recent years have seen rapid increases in both the need and demand for higher education, just as the economic downturn has placed increasing pressure on state higher education budgets. These trends and others have converged to inspire state policy- makers, the coordinating and governing boards for higher education, and other stakeholders to consider ways to…
Early Results of Outcomes-Based Funding in Tennessee
March 10, 2016
No state has done more than Tennessee to shift state higher education funding to reflect outcomes rather than inputs. In other states, most of the core funding for higher education, including tuition and state appropriations, flows to colleges based on student enrollment.
Structuring State Policy for Student Success
March 10, 2016
This is a time of great challenge and opportunity for American higher education. The challenges are well-established and widely acknowledged: escalating standards for economic competitiveness, coupled with a severe economic downturn and protracted recovery, require broad access to relevant postsecondary education, training and retooling as never before, but stagnant state funding and surging student demand…
Employing Postsecondary Data for Effective State Finance Policymaking
March 10, 2016
Each year, more states are adopting policies to incent and support improvements in postsecondary student success and equitable outcomes through the effective use of quality data. Particularly as the target dates for national higher education attainment goals grow nearer, state economies are in need of more college-educated workers, and budgets continue to be severely constrained,…