Fund Initiatives
Students at a Paying for College Bus Tour stop, Reading, PA
The Sallie Mae Fund is committed to addressing the barriers to college access, which it groups into three categories: knowledge of college and financial aid, closing the financial gap, and academic preparation.
Financial Aid Awareness
Our surveys have found that those with the greatest need for information about college financial aid—low-income and minority families—have the least information about how to pay for college. To ensure that funding is not a barrier to higher education for students and their families, The Sallie Mae Fund has awarded more than $12.7 million in scholarships to more than 5,000 students since 2001. There is a significant information divide between what is needed and what is available to America's lower-income and minority families. The Sallie Mae Fund's initiatives, such as the enormously popular Paying for College Bus Tour, work toward narrowing this information divide.
Scholarships
Providing college scholarships directly to those most in need is yet another way The Sallie Mae Fund achieves its mission. To ensure that funding is not a barrier to higher education for students and their families, The Sallie Mae Fund provides roughly $2.5 million in college scholarships each year to low-income and minority students.
Academic Preparation
Many college-access experts agree that middle school is a critical time to shape a student's perceptions about college. The Sallie Mae Fund's Kids2College program partners with community groups, schools/districts, and colleges and universities to reach sixth graders in at-risk communities with information about college. This innovative six-week curriculum combines hands-on activities with information on careers, college life and academic preparation, culminating with a visit to a local college campus. In addition, The Fund supports programs that foster improved academic performance and college awareness, such as Reading Is Fundamental and Junior Achievement.
