Posted on September 15, 2012

Lumina Awards Nearly $10 Million in Second-Quarter Grants

The Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation has announced grants totaling nearly $10 million to nonprofit organizations in seven states and the District of Columbia.

The grants will support organizations working to enhance student preparation, success, and productivity in higher education. Recipients include Georgetown University, which was awarded $3.2 million in support of its center on education and the workforce; the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, which received $1.5 million to scale and further field-test two developmental math pathways to advance the success of community college students; the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, which was awarded $1 million to help make LearningCounts.org a self-sustaining enterprise able to provide prior learning assessment resources to adult learners; and the American Council on Education, which received $485,100 to further develop its department of leadership and lifelong learning.

"Lumina is working to make a robust case for Goal 2025: 60 percent of Americans must hold high-quality college degrees, certificates, and other credentials by the year 2025," said Lumina Foundation president and CEO Jamie Merisotis. "The 60 percent threshold is important because degrees, certificates, and all types of high-quality credentials matter. A massive amount of research, going back many years, shows that increasing attainment is critical for two key reasons: economic prosperity and social/cultural vitality."

For a complete list of grant recipients, visit the Lumina Foundation Web site.