JKCF Supports Bloomberg Initiative to Help High-Achieving, Low-Income Students Get to Colleges
LANSDOWNE, VA – In support of the Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative to increase the number of high-achieving, low- and moderate-income students who apply to and graduate from top colleges and universities, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has
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Awarded a grant of $500,000 to the College Advising Corps that will enable its advisors to provide personalized college advising to high-achieving, low-income students from around the nation using video conferencing and screen sharing, among other technologies.
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Provided the names of more than 2,000 high-achieving, low-income high school seniors who will have the opportunity to receive advising on college admissions and financial aid.
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Announced plans to develop a tool that will provide virtual advising using Chatbot technology supported by a learning computer that will make advising freely available to tens of thousands of additional high-achieving, low-income students each year.
“We applaud the Bloomberg Philanthropies leadership,” said Harold O. Levy, the Executive Director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. “This is potentially a game changer for high-performing, poor kids.”
The Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative aims to directly help as many as 65,000 students apply to, enroll in and graduate from top colleges and universities by providing support and guidance on the college and financial aid process. The goal is for over half of high-achieving, low- and moderate-income students—up from approximately one-third today—to enroll in the 265 colleges and universities that have strong graduation rates and financial aid policies. To make this goal possible, the initiative will engage leading experts and college and university presidents to spur changes in higher education policies and practices in order to enable more of these students to enroll and graduate.
The Foundation’s support of this initiative continues its role as a leader in ensuring that the nation’s best students with financial need are able access and thrive in the nation’s best colleges.
For more information about the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s role in supporting this initiative, please contact Emily Froimson at efroimson@jkcf.org and to learn about our long-time grant partner, the College Advising Corps, please go to www.advisingcorps.org. To hear more about the Foundation’s work in this area, listen to his interview on NPR’s All Things Considered.
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The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, the largest scholarship foundation in the country, is dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. Because we believe that high-potential, low-income students will excel educationally when given the resources to develop their talents, the Foundation supports exceptional students from elementary school to graduate school through scholarships, grants, direct service, and knowledge creation and dissemination. Founded in 2000 by the estate of Jack Kent Cooke, the Foundation has awarded $125 million in scholarships to 1,800 students, and $79 million in grants to organizations that support our mission. www.jkcf.org
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