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FWISD Receives Grant to Boost FAFSA Completion Rate
Fort Worth, Texas, June 11, 2018 - The Fort Worth Independent School District is among 25 U.S. education institutions and organizations receiving a grant up to $40,000 for boosting FAFSA completion rates by 5 percent.
The 2018-19 FAFSA Completion Challenge Grant, funded by The Kresge Foundation and Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation and Affiliates, was announced by the National College Access Network (NCAN), June 4. Awarded to cities where the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) completion rates are currently below the national average, the grant aims to close equity gaps and challenges its recipients to increase FAFSA completion rates for the graduating Class of 2019 by 5 percentage points.
Completion of the FAFSA application informs students of the financial aid they’re eligible for to fund their college education. Data shows a pattern in which students who are likely to complete a FAFSA application are likely to enroll in and complete college.
This is the second iteration of the challenge and the first time FWISD has participated. Resources for training, tracking student data, messaging and student assistance in completing the FAFSA application are just some of the ways the grant can be utilized by its recipients.
“The 2016-17 Challenge demonstrated that cities could achieve significant progress in just one school year by working collaboratively across sectors to give students the FAFSA completion support they need,” said Caroline Altman Smith, Kresge’s deputy director for its Education program, in a recent statement. “This is a high-leverage investment for philanthropy because the FAFSA enables students to tap into huge amounts of government resources that often go unclaimed.”
Fort Worth is one of eight Texas organizations awarded the grant.
In September 2019, the National College Access Network will award a $100,000 grand prize to one city that’s shown great gains in FAFSA completion rates through the adoption of effective strategies and that shows likability to sustain the percentage rates. The announcement will be made at the NCAN National Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.
For more details, visit www.collegeaccess.org/FAFSAchallenge.
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