Grants to Improve College Student Retention
For postsecondary education to be most effective, students have to graduate. In fact, the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation notes that by 2018, 6 out of 10 jobs in the United States will require some sort of completed postsecondary education, such as a certificate, associate degree or bachelor's degree. Because of this, corporations and nonprofit organizations have earmarked grant funds to help colleges retain their students or improve their retention rates.
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Wal-Mart Grants
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The Wal-Mart Foundation offers grants to colleges that want to improve the retention rate among first-generation students. The grants are part of Wal-Mart's effort to encourage young people whose parents did not go to college to complete school. Wal-Mart has offered grants of over $5 million to organizations like the Institute for Higher Education Policy and Excelencia, which then distribute them to colleges or programs aimed at improving college-student retention. The Wal-Mart foundation has a number of grant programs that run throughout the year. In order to be considered for a Wal-Mart grant, organizations should read the eligibility guidelines for each of its grant programs, and if eligible, apply online at the Wal-Mart Foundation's website.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grants
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One of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's largest goals is to not only ensure that students graduate ready for college but also to ensure that they complete college. In 1999, the foundation pledged $1 billion to help students complete some sort of postsecondary education. The foundation's grant funds have gone to support online education, student access to information about college and college planning, research into what causes low retention rates, and information campaigns about the problems of falling retention rates. Nonprofit organizations can learn more about and apply for Bill and Melinda Gates foundation grants on the organization's website.
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Child Care Access Means Parents in School Grants
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Not all grants aimed at improving college student retention are given to support education programs. The United States Department of Education's Child Care Access Means Parents in School Grants attempt to eliminate one of the nonacademic problems that gets in the way of students completing their education -- the high price of childcare. The grant awards funds to colleges in low-income areas to help those colleges establish childcare facilities on campus. Colleges can use the funds for before- and after-school care programs. The grant amounts vary, but in 2010, the department awarded grants of just over $10,000 to nearly $300,000. Grants are awarded yearly, and applicants can find out more information by visiting the Department of Education website.
Individual Grants and Scholarships
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Personal finances and the ability to pay tuition is one important factor in whether a student will graduate college. The Department of Education offers financial aid grants, like the Pell Grant, that pay for all or a portion of a student's school costs, helping make staying enrolled more affordable. Some grant- and scholarship-funding organizations also have used their awards as attempts to specifically improve an individual's retention. For example, West Virginia only renews its largest merit scholarship if the recipients are set to graduate in four years.
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References
- The Wal-Mart Foundation: First-Generation College Students Get Help From the Wal-Mart Foundation to Pursue Their Degrees
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Why College Completion?
- The New York Times: Cut Waste or Invest? Try Both
- U.S. Department of Education: Child Care Access Means Parents In School Program
