USA Funds Awards $2.8 Million in Higher Education Grants

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- USA Funds®, a nonprofit organization that helps American families benefit from postsecondary education, announces the award of nearly $2.8 million in grants for the quarter ending June 30. USA Funds awarded 100 grants to organizations in 11 states and the District of Columbia, to enhance awareness of and preparation for, access to and success in postsecondary education.

"These awards support programs that improve students' awareness of and preparation for postsecondary education, promote access to high-quality higher education opportunities, and increase student persistence and completion of their programs of study," said Robert C. Ballard, USA Funds senior vice president, program and corporate development. "USA Funds focuses its grant-making primarily on underserved low-income middle and high school students, students of color and first-generation postsecondary students."

Highlights of USA Funds' grant-making during the quarter include the following items:

• Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (Washington, D.C.) — $275,000 to produce a white paper regarding Asian and Pacific Islander American students and how they finance their education; to provide scholarship support for Asian and Pacific Islander American students; to support APIASF's Fifth Annual Today's Minds, Tomorrow's Future Scholarship Benefit; and to support the first Higher Education Summit: Access and Success: A Discussion on Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Higher Education.
• Indiana Commission for Higher Education (Indianapolis) — $270,000 to support Learn More Indiana, Indiana's college and career connection website and helpline to provide resources to help Indiana students, parents and adult learners plan for college and careers.
• Okolona Dollars for Scholars (Okolona, Miss.) — $140,000 to support the Okolona Learning Community Initiative, which is committed to reducing the dropout rate for students living in this area.
• Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (Jackson, Miss.) — $100,000 to support the College Knowledge Project to make low-income and first-generation Mississippi students aware of postsecondary education opportunities.
• U.S. Dream Academy (Washington, D.C.) — $100,000 to support an annual event to raise funds to mentor and tutor children of incarcerated parents.
• Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township Foundation (Indianapolis) — $100,000 to support the Advancement Via Individual Determination program at each of the two middle and high schools in Lawrence Township.
• American Indian College Fund (Denver) — $95,000 to provide support for the American Indian College Fund 2010 Flame of Hope Gala; to support marketing initiatives to help increase American Indian College Fund's donor base; and to support the College Fund Road Show and the American Indian College Fund Power Breakfast.
• United Negro College Fund Indianapolis Chapter (Indianapolis) — $73,000 to assist the Indianapolis chapter to increase awareness, cultivate relationships and transform those relationships into donors through the UNCF Annual Fund Development Program.
• The Regents of the University of California (Oakland, Calif.) — $70,000 to motivate ninth grade students to aspire to higher education by providing a first-time opportunity to experience a college-going culture through the Puente Project Ninth Grade Student Leadership Conferences.
• Wichita Public Schools (Wichita, Kan.) — $60,660 to support the tutorial element of the Advancement Via Individual Determination program in two Wichita high schools and expand the program into two middle schools.
• YMCA of Greater Indianapolis (Indianapolis) — $60,000 to support the Young Achievers program, which helps low-income high school students prepare for postsecondary education, and to support the From Day 1 Camp to help eighth grade students transition to high school.
• Riley Children's Foundation (Indianapolis) — $51,000 to provide hospitalized students with the resources they need to continue their education without interruption.
• La Plaza Inc. (Indianapolis) — $50,000 to provide support for Latino students and parents to participate in a summer leadership program.
• Indiana Black Expo (Indianapolis) — $50,000 to provide information and resources to Indiana educators through IBE Statewide Education Conferences.
• Community Hospital Foundation (Indianapolis) — $50,000 to support a school-based community coordinator at Thomas Carr Howe Community School.
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund (San Francisco) — $50,000 to support HSF's annual scholarship fundraising dinner.
• Training Inc. (Indianapolis) — $50,000 to support Bridges to Success, a program that provides career and life skills training to disadvantaged, unemployed or under-employed women and men.
• Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (Washington, D.C.) — $50,000 to support Ready to Lead regional training sessions on college readiness, financing a college education and leadership.
• Police Athletic League of Indianapolis (Indianapolis) — $50,000 to support the Indy PAL Club Tutoring and Mentoring Program for inner-city youth.
• Jobs for Arizona Graduates (Phoenix) — $50,000 to help middle and high school students who are at risk of leaving school prepare for a postsecondary education.
• Business Higher Education Forum (Washington, D.C.) — $50,000 to support the College Readiness, Access and Success Initiative, a platform for business and higher education institutions to work together to promote college readiness, access and success for underserved populations.
• City Year Seattle (Seattle) — $50,000 to launch Seattle's first Diplomas Now site as part of City Year's plan to address the dropout crisis in Seattle.
• Parents & Kids (Jackson, Miss.) — $45,000 to support the Mississippi College Information Project, which helps students and parents prepare academically and financially to attend a postsecondary education institution.
• Girls Incorporated of Greater Indianapolis (Indianapolis) — $30,000 to support a math and science program that gives girls the opportunity to explore, ask questions and solve problems in a girl-focused setting.
• Purdue Foundation (West Lafayette, Ind.) — $30,000 to support the parents program of Science Bound, which mentors eighth grade through 12th grade students at Indianapolis Public Schools, encouraging them to enroll in classes and pursue careers in science, engineering, technology and math/science education.
• I Have a Dream Foundation (Portland, Ore.) — $25,000 to support the Dreamer School to provide academic support services to students and families from third grade until high school completion.
• De La Salle North Catholic High School (Portland, Ore.) — $25,000 to support an initiative to increase enrollment and graduation rates.
• Alliance for Education (Seattle) — $25,000 to disseminate college access information to a variety of audiences, including students, families, teachers and counselors.
• Saint Florian Center (Indianapolis) — $20,000 to support My Brother's Keeper, a program that facilitates the academic, career, social and identity development of African-American youth.
• Boys II Men Inc. (Indianapolis) — $20,000 to support college tours for young African-American males.
• Barrio Logan College Institute (San Diego) — $20,000 to support a program that connects future first-generation college students with a broad range of resources and opportunities.
• Barnes United Methodist Church (Indianapolis) — $20,000 to support the Distinguished Gentlemen's League, a year-round, weekly program designed to empower adolescent African-American males through effective leadership, academic and self-confidence activities.
• Indianapolis Urban League (Indianapolis) — $20,000 to provide academic preparation for college along with life skills development and personal, global and cultural awareness to high school students.
• 100 Black Men of Indianapolis (Indianapolis) — $20,000 to provide young African-American males with the skills necessary to identify options, make positive life choices, and complete high school and postsecondary training or education to become productive citizens.
• Ben Davis High School (Indianapolis) — $20,000 to support the Giant Kings program, which facilitates the academic, career, social and identity development of African-American youth.
• Emmerich Manual High School (Indianapolis) — $20,000 to support a program focused on helping African-American male students develop skills that will enable them to succeed in high school and postsecondary education.
• National Society of Hispanic MBAs (Indianapolis) — $15,000 to support Project Stepping Stone, a program to expose Hispanic youth to and prepare them for postsecondary education.
• I Challenge You Inc. (Greenville, Miss.) — $15,000 to provide mentoring, counseling, study time and recreational activities for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
• Wabash College (Crawfordsville, Ind.) — $14,089 to support a community tutoring program, led by African-American and Hispanic male college students, for high school students.
• One by One Leadership (Immokalee, Fla.) — $12,715 to sponsor a three-week residential leadership program for 30 high school students.
• College Mentors for Kids (Indianapolis) — $10,000 to connect at-risk elementary and middle school students to the resources and knowledge of college student mentors and expose participants to the opportunities of higher education.
• Advance! (La Habra, Calif.) — $10,000 to assist students and their families with the college selection process.
• Excelencia in Education (Washington, D.C.) — $10,000 to support the convening of higher education, policy and government officials to share information about persistence and success through college completion for Latino students.
• Wishard Foundation (Indianapolis) — $10,000 to support the George H. Rawls, M.D., Scholarship dinner to provide scholarship support to students pursuing medical training at the Indiana University School of Medicine with a requirement that they remain in Indiana for one year working in an economically disadvantaged community.

For its next quarterly cycle of grant awards, beginning Oct. 1 USA Funds will accept grant requests that meet its guidelines. For details, visit www.usafunds.org/access_and_outreach/grant_index.htm.

Headquartered in Indianapolis, USA Funds is a nonprofit corporation that works to enhance postsecondary education preparedness, access and success by providing and supporting financial and other valued services. For more information about USA Funds, visit www.usafunds.org.

SOURCE USA Funds