The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) announced additional funding from Lumina Foundation for Education to support national management of College Goal Sunday. College Goal Sunday is a free program that helps students and parents complete the FAFSA, the universally required financial aid application form.
Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) June 27, 2005 -- The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) announced that it received $272,600 in additional funding from Lumina Foundation for Education to support national management of College Goal Sunday. The supplemental funding will support activities envisioned since NASFAA was awarded a Lumina Foundation grant in 2004 for overall management of the program.
College Goal Sunday, currently offered in 18 states and the District of Columbia, is a free program that helps students and parents complete the FAFSA, the universally required financial aid application form. The supplemental grant brings total funding for NASFAAs CGS management activities to $903,600 for the three-year period that began July 1, 2004, and extends to June 30, 2007.
Over the past 15 years, College Goal Sunday has already helped more than 100,000 students clear the paperwork hurdle when applying for college financial aid. One day each year, traditionally a week or two after Super Bowl Sunday, qualified volunteers fan out to selected community sites across a state to help families fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is required to determine eligibility for most federal and state aid programs.
The supplemental grant will provide for enhanced public relations and media tool development, translation of various College Goal Sunday print and Web material into languages other than English, a national College Goal Sunday Advisory Committee, a forum for CGS state leaders to be held in conjunction with NASFAAs annual conference, promotional materials for distribution at regional financial aid and other organizations conferences, additional travel for College Goal Sunday promotion, training for College Goal Sunday state leaders, and a significantly expanded evaluation plan.
College Goal Sunday began in Indiana in 1989 and has proven effective there ever since. The program was originally a joint project of the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association (ISFAA) and the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI) with funding from Lilly Endowment, Inc. Over the years, Lumina Foundation and its predecessor organizations have co-funded the Indiana program and led the expansion into other states. In 2005, programs were offered in Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Wyoming, plus the District of Columbia. Eight additional states are planning programs for 2006, including Florida, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
For more information about College Goal Sunday, visit www.CollegeGoalSundayUSA.org.
About NASFAA:
The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators is a nonprofit membership organization that represents more than 11,000 financial aid professionals at nearly 3,000 colleges, universities, and career schools across the country. Based in Washington, D.C., NASFAA is the only national association with a primary focus on student aid legislation, regulatory analysis, and training for financial aid administrators. Each year, members help more than 8 million students receive funding for postsecondary education. In addition to its member Web site at www.NASFAA.org, the Association offers a Web site with financial aid information for parents and students at www.StudentAid.org.
About Lumina Foundation:
Lumina Foundation for Education, an Indianapolis-based, private, independent foundation, strives to help people achieve their potential by expanding access and success in education beyond high school. Through grants for research, innovation, communication, and evaluation, as well as policy education and leadership development, Lumina Foundation addresses issues that affect access and educational attainment among all students, particularly underserved student groups, including adult learners. The Foundation bases its mission on the belief that postsecondary education remains one of the most beneficial investments that individuals can make in themselves and that society can make in its people. For more details on the Foundation, visit its Web site at www.luminafoundation.org.
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