The study found that Black students in less racially diverse programs are more likely to feel discriminated against, physically and psychologically unsafe, and disrespected, leading them to abandon their higher education goals.

Only 35% of Black Americans have associate degrees or higher, which are essential for economic and social mobility, and Black student enrollment has also declined over the last 10 years.

“The data is sad and distressing, but the fact that we now have the data, we can’t hide and say we don’t know anymore,” said Courtney Brown, Lumina Foundation’s vice president of strategic impact and planning.

“Now we need to act on the data,” she added.

Read more.

The Lumina Foundation is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all.

The foundation has issued an RFP for its Racial Justice and Equity (RJE) Fund that will support seven to ten organizations with grants of up to $400,000 for as long as two years. The fund is designed to directly support organizations’ efforts to eradicate systemic racism and advance equity and justice for those who have experienced racial oppression: especially Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) populations. In addition, the RJE Fund invests in efforts outside of Lumina’s core strategies that have a meaningful connection to the field of higher education. Lumina views this connection, or adjacency, as an established relationship or partnership with a higher education institution or set of institutions and/or supporting college students.

The common thread that unites all Lumina RJE grantees is their explicit focus on eradicating systemic racism and working to mitigate and eliminate the entrenched policies, practices, and beliefs that continue to stand in the way of racial equity and justice. Current RJE Fund grantees embody this focus while connecting with the field of higher education in multiple ways.

This RFP is not designed for organizations looking to launch an equity initiative, start a new diversity, equity, and inclusion function, or organizations whose missions and work are not explicitly focused on racial equity.

Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) organizations, public charities, and other nonprofits, such as community-based organizations; public policy/advocacy organizations; tribal organizations; social movement/mobilization organizations; and centers within higher education institutions.

Initial applications are due September 2, 2021, by 5:00pm EDT. Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal by October 21, 2021.

For complete program guidelines, application instructions, and to access an informational webinar, see the Lumina Foundation website.

Deadline: September 2, 2021 (Initial Applications)

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the global and U.S. economy more profoundly than any other event since World War II. Just as the subprime mortgage crisis ushered in an 18-month economic decline and an ensuing state budget crisis, the current economic slide threatens to leave us in an even larger fiscal hole. The Great Recession also taught the nation several lessons about higher education. Generally, the more education you have, the more likely you are to remain employed during economic hardship. States with higher educational attainment also see greater economic growth. Conversely, disproportionate cuts to higher education undermine statewide attainment goals. States will often pursue “across-the-board” cuts to institutions in what may appear to be a “fair” way to distribute losses, but this can cause significant harm.

Read more and download the report

While the primary objective of this RFI is to help Lumina better understand the current landscape, we also hope it can help us identify potential grantees.

• Funding opportunity. Lumina Foundation will support planning awards for high-potential respondents to develop full proposals for implementation grants.
• Other benefits. All respondents will inform a new body of research into recognition of postsecondary-level learning. Particularly innovative or scalable approaches will be studied by Lumina and evaluation partners. Respondents receiving planning awards will join a network of peers and receive guidance and technical assistance at live and virtual meetings. Lumina also plans to highlight achievements gained and lessons learned from these efforts.

Interested respondents should submit their RFI response on the provided form by 12 P.M. EST on January 14, 2019 to LuminaAdultLearner@luminafoundation.org.

Learn more at: https://www.luminafoundation.org/all-learning-counts

AWARD: $50,000 USD DEADLINE: Apr 02 2017 23:59 EDT

Postsecondary learning is increasingly acknowledged as essential for realizing the American dream as more and more opportunities are geared toward highly skilled workers. To close the national talent gap, Lumina Foundation is working towards an equitable, accessible, responsive, and accountable higher education system to increase the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees, certificates, and other credentials to 60 percent by 2025.

This Challenge requires organizations to submit a completed Application Form, outlining how their entity has a positive impact upon postsecondary attainment in the United States, or how they could transfer their current model to help reach Goal 2025. Entries will be narrowed down to three finalists, who will be invited to a live pitching event at the Inaugural LIFTeD Convening from May 11-12, 2017 in Indianapolis, IN. Beyond the award, this prize competition offers an opportunity for visibility and networking with industry leaders.

This Challenge requires the submission of a completed Application Form.

ALERT: New deadline is 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on April 2, 2017.

https://www.innocentive.com/ar/challenge/9933973

The plan notes that the U.S. economy has added 11.5 million net new jobs for workers with postsecondary education since 2011, but only 80,000 for those with a high school diploma or less. As a result, recovery from the Great Recession has not been possible for the millions of Americans who lack postsecondary education and have limited options for employment and economic security. Between now and 2025, assuming that current rates of degree and certificate production continue, 16.4 million more Americans must earn postsecondary credentials in order to meet the 60 percent attainment goal and ensure a vibrant and growing economy and an engaged citizenry. Lumina Foundation’s target is to increase attainment by 5.9 million during the next four years. The Plan is built on the premise that a new postsecondary learning system is necessary to reach the goal.

“Our work has taught us that modest, incremental improvements will not suffice; but rather, a fundamental redesign is required,” said Jamie Merisotis, president and CEO of Lumina Foundation. “We must move from a system that is centered on institutions and organized around time, to one that is centered on students, organized around high-quality learning and focused on closing attainment gaps. In short, we must build a true system of postsecondary learning.”

The Strategic Plan identifies three priority populations whose attainment must increase: traditional-aged students now between the ages of 16 and 24, but who currently are not likely to obtain college degrees; returning adult students who have attended college but not obtained a credential; and the nearly 64 million adults with no education beyond high school. The five priorities for action outlined in the Strategic Plan are:

• A postsecondary learning system in which the top priorities are completion of quality credentials, affordability and closing equity gaps,
• A new, national system of transparent, high-quality postsecondary credentials,
• National expansion of competency-based learning,
• Pathways to initial credentials—including certificates and certifications—for adults without postsecondary education; and
• An integrated, quality assurance system for postsecondary learning.

“Lumina’s commitment to Goal 2025 and to issues related to equity, increased opportunity and quality credentials for all learners remains the same,” said Danette Howard, chief strategy officer and senior vice president for Lumina Foundation. “But the plan has amplified our strong emphasis on first-generation students, people from low-income families, African American, Hispanic and American Indian students, as well as both returning adult learners and adults without any postsecondary education experience.”

Read more:

http://www.collegeaccess.org/SD10252016Article2

First-time data on certificates add to understanding of attainment; Urgent action needed to increase postsecondary success—even with steady progress on degrees, more needed for 2025 goal

The U.S. is making slow, but steady progress in the number of Americans who hold high-quality credentials beyond high school diplomas. New data on nationwide postsecondary attainment released today by Lumina Foundation in its latest A Stronger Nation report indicates that 40.4 percent of working-age Americans (ages 25-64) held high-quality two- or four-year degrees in 2014, the latest U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey) figures available, up slightly from 40.0 percent in 2013.

For the first time, this year’s Stronger Nation report also includes data on the attainment of postsecondary certificates. According to nationally representative survey data obtained by NORC at the University of Chicago, 4.9 percent of Americans hold high-quality postsecondary certificates. Certificates, which are often awarded by community and technical colleges, have significant value in the workforce and can provide the basis and gateway for further education.

Including the newly obtained NORC data, A Stronger Nation puts overall postsecondary attainment at 45.3 percent nationally.* The current rate of year-over-year increase is not sufficient to achieve the Foundation’s Goal 2025—that by 2025, 60 percent of Americans hold high quality postsecondary degrees or certificates. In fact, the U.S. is projected to fall short of that number by 10.9 million people if the pace continues unchanged.

https://www.luminafoundation.org/stronger_nation2016

This Challenge requires social ventures to submit a completed Application Form, outlining how their organization has a positive impact upon higher education in the United States, or how they could transfer their current practices to help reach Goal 2025. A preliminary judging panel will narrow entries down to a shortlist and Lumina will then invite three finalists to a live pitching event at the ASU GSV Summit from April 18-20, 2016 in San Diego, California. This includes a stipend for the finalists (covering the costs of travel, accommodation, and attendance at the event).

Beyond the award, this Showcase Challenge offers an opportunity for visibility and networking with industry leaders. Lumina Foundation has built many successful and long-lasting partnerships with not-for-profits, and they envisage this Showcase Challenge as a potential first step in developing similar relationships with leading social ventures.

This is a Showcase Challenge that requires only the submission of a completed Application Form.

Deadline: March 13, 2016

https://www.innocentive.com/ar/challenge/9933834?cc=LuminaTW

So concludes the recently published Lumina Issue Paper entitled It’s Not Just the Money: The Benefits of College Education to Individuals and to Society. In this paper, the author, Professor Philip Trostel of the University of Maine, corroborates existing evidence that the benefits of a higher education extend far beyond the increased earnings.

According to this report’s findings, compared with high school graduates who never attended college, Americans with bachelor’s degrees who graduated from college in 2012 were:

• 44% more likely to report their health as “very good or excellent”;
• Five times less likely to be in jail;
• Four times less likely to smoke; and
• 21% more likely to be married.

According to the report, the benefits of a college education extend far beyond the individual to the community as a whole. College graduates from 2012 compared as follows against non-graduates; they were:

• More than twice as likely to volunteer in their community;
• Significantly more likely to vote and be involved politically;
• Almost twice as likely to be involved in school, community service, and civic and religious organizations; and
• Utilize 39% less likely to use government resources while contributing significantly more in federal, state and local taxes.

So not only do individuals college completers contribute to the economic well-being of their community, they contribute to its social fabric as well. And they’re happier and healthier as well!

http://www.collegeaccess.org/SD10202015Article3

With one in three college students defined as low-income, Lumina released Beyond Financial Aid to be a toolkit designed to help two- and four-year institutions close attainment gaps for low-income students. BFA expands the concept of “financial supports” for college beyond grants, scholarships and loans and describes six college-tested strategies for helping low-income students overcome the significant challenges created by limited resources. BFA features a self-assessment that college teams can use to analyze their service capacities and an interpretation guide to help map out their first steps toward strengthening these capacities.

THE SIX ‘BFA’ STRATEGIES TO INCREASE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS

1. Know the low-income students at your institution by reviewing quantitative and qualitative institutional data to better understand the experiences of low-income students.

2. Provide supports to help low-income students overcome practical barriers by bundling diverse on-campus and off-campus resources and centralizing their access.

3. Leverage external partnerships for service delivery by connecting with groups that have shared missions and values and can help bring services to students.

4. Empower low-income students to use available resources by normalizing the use of financial supports. Also consider opt-out versus opt-in models.

5. Review your internal processes from the student’s perspective. This can uncover unintended impacts and suggest ways to revise and streamline processes and policies.

6. Implement effective practices to strengthen the academic progression of all students, knowing that these practices can make a greater difference for low-income students.

http://www.luminafoundation.org/beyond-financial-aid

Attainment gaps linked to race and ethnicity deserve special scrutiny. While the overall attainment rate is 40 percent, the rate for African Americans is only 28.1 percent. The rates for Native Americans and Hispanics are even lower, at 23.9 percent and 20.3 percent, respectively. Since nonwhite residents account for a growing share of the U.S. population, these persistent gaps in attainment are arguably the most serious threat to the nation’s ability to reach Goal 2025. For its part, Lumina Foundation has increased its commitment to addressing what it call the equity imperative — the pressing need to close gaps in attainment linked to race and ethnicity.

Read more: http://www.collegeaccess.org/SD04212015Article2

Full report: http://strongernation.luminafoundation.org/report/