EMERGENCY AID: SMALL GRANTS. RIGHT TIMES. BIG IMPACT.

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Alvin Crawford
5 years ago
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Christina Rose Director, Client Solutions Scholarship America

1 EMERGENCY AID: SMALL GRANTS. RIGHT TIMES. BIG IMPACT. Mimi Daly Larson Senior Vice President Scholarship America Christina Rose Director, Client Solutions Scholarship America *credits: Sara Goldrick-Rab Professor at Temple University and Founder of the Wisconsin HOPE Lab

2 Agenda I. Background II. Importance of Emergency Aid III. Defining Emergency Aid IV. Recommendations What We ve Learned V. Key Questions for Your Program VI. Discussion

3 Scholarship America A nonprofit with a mission to mobilize America through scholarships and other educational support to make postsecondary success possible for all. 1. Design & Manage Custom Education Assistance Programs 2. Deliver Financial and Other Supports to Students in Need 3. Engage Stakeholders & Influence Policies to Benefit Students 13,000+ PROGRAMS SUPPORTED FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES, BUSINESSES, FOUNDATIONS, ASSOCIATIONS, NONPROFITS AND INDIVIDUALS. SERVE ALL STUDENTS WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON HELPING THOSE MOST IN NEED. $3.5 BILLION DISTRIBUTED TO MORE THAN 2.2 MILLION STUDENTS SINCE 1958

4 Education Changes Lives

5 Background Scholarship America and Wisconsin HOPE Lab Research Report: Scan of landscape Studied over 100 programs Focus on practitioner expertise Surveys & phone interviews Full report available at:

6 Why Emergency Aid? Incomes are flat; college cost burden has shifted to students Cost of living is increasing Nontraditional students balancing many dynamics and expenses Often students drop out due to unexpected costs of a few hundred dollars.

7 The ROI Question What is the Return-On-Investment: For one-time scholarships? For renewable scholarships? Small Grants Right Time Big Impact!

8 ROI - Scholarship America s Programs More than $3.8 million to 7,400 students since 2004 This year already, 1,135 students received $255,000 Emergency Aid = Catalyst for Completion 95% of Scholarship America Dreamkeepers recipients completed the current term; 88% enrolled in the next term* Average grant = $483

9 What is Emergency Aid? This is still being debated We focus on grants restricted and unrestricted Some colleges make emergency loans NASPA study includes completion scholarships & food pantries too Amounts range from $400-$1,500

10 What is an Emergency? Unforeseen, Unexpected, or Sudden How financial situation is impacting the student s ability to attend school or stay in school Short term likely to be a one-time occurrence

11 What Expenses Qualify?

12 Who is Eligible?

13 Who Runs Emergency Aid? Student support services Financial aid offices Foundations, non-profits Decision is often related to funding source and has implications for: Legal considerations Who the student seeks out, how many lines they wait in Speed of processing and disbursement

14 How are Funds Disbursed? TIMING MATTERS: 1-2 day turnaround between application and disbursement

15 What We ve Learned 1. Establish and communicate clear criteria Build in flexibility for exceptions, unusual cases Providers and administrators should build together 2. Be a good steward while delivering fast! Lifetime limits ($1,500); request limits ($500-$800) 3. Collect and use data Few programs are assessing impact! Demand, supply and timing are variables to track Effectiveness of program promotion

16 What We ve Learned 4. Program promotion is critical Instructor-Counselor-Staff Member = #1 source Financial Aid Office = #2 source Website- Promo-Classmate = #3 sources 5. Build personal connection with students Helps assess needs more thoroughly Opportunity to share other support resources to further stabilize successful academic trajectory Easier to administer with direct communication Improves tracking and data outcomes and impact

17 Administration Tips 1. Detailed guidelines and verification process should be communicated clearly upfront 2. Maintain a sense of urgency using timely communications with the students 3. Maintain clear accounting/tracking 4. Require documentation of expenses and use thirdparty verification when possible 5. Plan staffing for 24-hr turnarounds, and have backup staff for each role in the disbursement process

18 Challenges & Questions 1. How to determine and confirm financial need? 2. How to coordinate with financial aid, or not? 3. Adequate documentation/proof of expense 4. Concerns about frequent flyers and empathy exhaustion of administrators 5. How is the program funded?

19 Do You Have A Program? 1. What does your emergency aid program offer? How do you define an emergency? Who is eligible? How do you define and verify financial need? How much money can students get? For what purposes? 2. Who administers it? 3. How do you disburse the aid and how quickly? 4. How do you promote it? 5. What data do you capture? 6. What have YOU learned?

Questions EMERGENCY AID: SMALL GRANTS. RIGHT TIME. BIG IMPACT. Full report available at: https://scholarshipamerica.

20 Questions EMERGENCY AID: SMALL GRANTS. RIGHT TIME. BIG IMPACT. Full report available at: Thank You MIMI DALY LARSON, SVP, Marketing, Development & Policy

SMALL INVESTMENT, BIG RESULTS: THE IMPACT OF COMPLETION GRANTS ON STUDENT SUCCESS

SMALL INVESTMENT, BIG RESULTS: THE IMPACT OF COMPLETION GRANTS ON STUDENT SUCCESS Amelia Parnell, Ph.D. Vice President for Research and Policy NASPA CSU Graduation Initiative Symposium October 12, 2017