Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
In response to a steep drop in Indiana’s college-going rate, the Indianapolis-based Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation is committing $4 million to Marion County schools and community-based organizations, the foundation announced Tuesday.
The grants are part of the foundation’s “College Matters” initiative, a program designed to spur more Hoosiers to pursue postsecondary education.
Fewer than half of Marion County high school graduates enrolled in college after high school in 2020, a 25% decrease in 10 years, according to the Commission for Higher Education. Among low-income high school grads, just 40% enrolled in college, compared to 58% of their higher-income peers.
“That raised some alarm bells for us,” said foundation CEO Claire Fiddian-Green. “That’s when we started having those conversations to figure out what could actually be helpful.”
Indiana ranks 43rd nationally when it comes to post-secondary attainment, with fewer than 29% of adults over age 25 holding a bachelor’s degree, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
In the 2023 legislative session, state lawmakers passed several bills aimed at reversing the trend. High school juniors and seniors who are eligible for the 21st Century Scholars program are now automatically enrolled in the program, and high school seniors are required to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.
The foundation grants are intentionally short-term and meant to provide a stopgap measure for organizations as they adjust to the new FAFSA mandate, Fiddian-Green said. The U.S. Department of Education is in the process of updating the FAFSA and doesn’t plan to release it until December, two months later than it is typically available.
Community-based organizations including the Center for Leadership Development, Indiana Black Expo, Indiana Latino Institute and Indianapolis Urban League will receive grants totaling more than $1.3 million over three years as part of the College Matters initiative.
The following school districts will receive between $145,000 and $240,000 in grant funding: Beech Grove City Schools, Christel House Indianapolis, Herron Classical Schools, Indianapolis Public Schools, Irvington Community Schools, KIPP Indy Public Schools, MSD of Lawrence Township, MSD of Pike Township, MSD of Warren Township, MSD of Washington Township, MSD of Wayne Township, Phalen Leadership Academies, Purdue Polytechnic High School, and Victory College Prep.
The foundation also awarded a three-year, $363,000 grant to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, which will be used to spread awareness of state and federal financial aid available to Marion County students and families.
A recent survey from the Wall Street Journal and the University of Chicago found that 56% of Americans think earning a four-year degree isn’t worth the cost, even as an increasing number of jobs that pay a livable wage and good benefits require some form of post-secondary education.
A report from Indianapolis-based not-for-profit Ascend Indiana concluded that the COVID pandemic rapidly accelerated the demand for college-educated workers while simultaneously reducing the need for unskilled labor. Factors such as globalization, automation and digitization were cited as reasons for the decline in demand for non-degreed talent in the Indianapolis metropolitan area.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.