Foundations
Here's a look at documents from U.S. foundations
Featured Stories
Top Student Ideas Win Grand Prizes in Mott Million Dollar Challenge
FLINT, Michigan, June 18 -- The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation issued the following news:
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Top student ideas win grand prizes in Mott Million Dollar Challenge
A patch designed to make injections less painful for kids. An app-based solution to educate students about saving water. A wearable device that enables medical professionals to capture more details during diagnostics. These were among the top six winning ideas that took grand prizes of $25,000 each in the final stages of the Mott Million Dollar Challenge held in Flint on June 15 and 16. The national youth pitch competition had a
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FLINT, Michigan, June 18 -- The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation issued the following news:
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Top student ideas win grand prizes in Mott Million Dollar Challenge
A patch designed to make injections less painful for kids. An app-based solution to educate students about saving water. A wearable device that enables medical professionals to capture more details during diagnostics. These were among the top six winning ideas that took grand prizes of $25,000 each in the final stages of the Mott Million Dollar Challenge held in Flint on June 15 and 16. The national youth pitch competition had aprize pool totaling $1 million and engaged more than 5,300 young people across the country who competed as individuals or in teams of up to three.
Funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation as part of its centennial celebration, the Mott Million Dollar Challenge was administered by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship in collaboration with VentureLab, Young Entrepreneur Institute, the Afterschool Alliance, Collaborative Communications and the 50 State Afterschool Network.
"Watching these young people pitch their ideas with such confidence and passion was a powerful reminder of why we support entrepreneurship education," said Ridgway White, president and CEO of the Mott Foundation. "Every young person deserves the opportunity to build the skills and mindsets they need to shape their future."
Since its launch at the outset of the year, more than 5,300 K-12 students representing all 50 states and Washington, D.C., submitted over 3,700 pitch videos to the Challenge. Hundreds of volunteer judges reviewed the videos to select 1,500 ideas as winners in the first round. From those, they selected the top 60, and the creators behind those ideas competed in the semifinal and final rounds over the past two days.
The Challenge recognized top ideas across two categories -- business ideas and social solutions -- and three grade divisions. In addition to the grand prizes, the competition recognized 12 finalist ideas with $10,000 each and two People's Choice awards of $2,500 each based on public voting.
The winning submissions reflect the breadth of ideas shared throughout the Challenge -- from innovative products and technologies to solutions designed to strengthen schools, unite communities and solve everyday problems.
Grand Prize Winners
K-4 Business Challenge Winner: Sticky Pals w/ Magic Medicine -- Kailyn Brown (Columbia, South Carolina, grade 3). Fun animal-shaped patches with a special numbing medicine so injections can be given with less pain and stress for kids.
5-8 Business Challenge Winner: ReHappy -- Siddharth Vikram (Carlisle, Massachusetts, grade 7). An app designed to guide kids through rehabilitation and physical therapy in an engaging, supportive way.
9-12 Business Challenge Winner: Aucura -- Kayley Xu (San Diego, California, grade 11). An innovative wearable device that enables medical professionals to capture more cardiac and pulmonary detail during auscultation than a traditional stethoscope.
K-4 Social Challenge Winner: KindLeaf Card Company -- Siya Krishna (Parlin, New Jersey, grade 2). A greeting card containing a paper leaf or heart with embedded seeds, so the recipient can replant the shape and grow a beautiful plant.
5-8 Social Challenge Winner: Save Drop -- Nithya Tammana (Monroe Township, New Jersey, grade 6). A nonprofit that educates students on saving water, paired with an app where students track their water savings and earn prizes.
9-12 Social Challenge Winner: Naturista -- Aditya Herekar (Edison, New Jersey, grade 11) and Karan Verma (Frisco, Texas, grade 11). A biodegradable, natural coffee pod for pod coffee makers that eliminates the plastic waste produced by traditional pods.
People's Choice Award Winners
Business Challenge People's Choice Award: Double D 4000 -- Joshua Gagakuma (Grand Prairie, Texas, grade 4) and Yahshua Gagakuma (Grand Prairie, Texas, grade 3). A folder designed to help kids with ADHD using daily planners, color-coded trackers, a whiteboard and more to stay scheduled, calm and happy.
Social Challenge People's Choice Award: ProdigyPro -- Aiden Azoy (Royal Palm Beach, Florida, grade 11) and Anthony Tan (East Hypoluxo, Florida, grade 11). An efficient, AI-powered entrepreneurship support platform designed specifically to help young founders build and grow their ventures.
"The Mott Million Dollar Challenge has been so amazing, and I felt like it really changed the lives of every kid here," said Siddharth Vikram, whose idea, ReHappy, earned the grand prize in the 5-8 business category. "Just to get to a successful point, it's like climbing a staircase of failures and opportunities, and the prize of the Mott competition is a huge step."
The Mott Million Dollar Challenge reflects the broader goals of entrepreneurship education: encouraging young people to explore opportunities, think creatively and see themselves as leaders.
"What has been most inspiring throughout this Challenge is seeing young people recognize the value of their own ideas," said J.D. LaRock, NFTE president and CEO. "Whether they were selected as winners or not, thousands of participants developed skills, confidence and an entrepreneurial mindset that will serve them well into the future."
To learn more about the Challenge and explore the winning ideas, visit mottmillion.org.
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Original text here: https://www.mott.org/news/releases/top-student-ideas-win-grand-prizes-in-mott-million-dollar-challenge/
FFRF Challenges N.C. County's Christian Agenda
MADISON, Wisconsin, June 18 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
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FFRF challenges N.C. county's Christian agenda
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is insisting that Randolph County commissioners in Asheboro, N.C., immediately stop imposing their sectarian religious beliefs on the community.
A concerned county resident informed the state/church watchdog that on Dec. 8, 2025, the Board of Commissioners voted to dissolve the entire Library Board of Trustees in response to its decision to keep the book "Call Me Max," which is about a transgender child,
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MADISON, Wisconsin, June 18 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
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FFRF challenges N.C. county's Christian agenda
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is insisting that Randolph County commissioners in Asheboro, N.C., immediately stop imposing their sectarian religious beliefs on the community.
A concerned county resident informed the state/church watchdog that on Dec. 8, 2025, the Board of Commissioners voted to dissolve the entire Library Board of Trustees in response to its decision to keep the book "Call Me Max," which is about a transgender child,in the children's section. In a video documenting the meeting, Commissioner Kenny Kidd stated, "What is important to me is the souls of our children." FFRF has learned that the board now intends to create new Library Board of Trustees policies that would supposedly better "represent the values of Randolph County" by excluding books like "Call Me Max."
The community member who reported this incident also informed FFRF that the board has been opening every meeting with a Christian prayer. As far back as Aug. 4, 2025, Chaplain Bill Hatfield led the audience in prayer at the board meeting, saying, "Thank you for our country. The Lord is always here when I say the pledge of allegiance, and I encourage us to do this as well. Not only to make it a pledge, but make it a prayer. ... Oh we pray for our country and pray for our county. We love you Lord, we thank you, we give you praise again. Jesus Christ our lord. Amen." And to give a very recent example, the meeting on June 1 began with a Christian prayer led by Chaplain Kevin Walton:
Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Lord, I pray that you bless and watch over this meeting and I do pray that the truth will be done. Lord, and I ask all of these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
The board ought not to lend its power and prestige to religion, especially a single religion, by scheduling, hosting or conducting governmental prayers.
"Citizens, including Randolph County's nonreligious citizens, are compelled to come before the board and its committees on important civic matters, to seek licenses and permits and to participate in important decisions affecting their livelihoods, property, children and quality of life," FFRF Patrick O'Reiley Legal Fellow Charlotte R. Gude writes to Board Chair Darrell Frye.
Prayer at government meetings is unnecessary, inappropriate and divisive. All board members and meeting attendees are, of course, free to pray privately or to worship on their own time in their own way. However, board members do not need to worship on taxpayers' time.
Exclusively Christian opening prayer excludes those community members who belong to the 38 percent of Americans identifying as non-Christians, including the nearly one in three Americans who are now religiously unaffiliated. It is coercive, embarrassing and intimidating for such citizens to be required to make a public showing of their nonbelief in Christianity -- by not rising or praying -- or else to display deference or obeisance toward a religious sentiment in which they do not believe, but which their county commissioners clearly do.
The ideal approach is to discontinue invocations altogether.
Additionally, FFRF is firmly opposed to banning books from libraries. FFRF believes that there is no true freedom of thought, conscience or even religion unless our government and its public schools are free from religion and its control over thought. The best solution is to leave a diversity of viewpoints in libraries -- and trust that families will explore complex topics in the ways their beliefs dictate. As the board must know, parents, not the government, have the constitutional right to guide their children's religious or nonreligious upbringing.
To respect the diverse range of religious and nonreligious residents living in Randolph County, FFRF is asking that the board concentrate solely on civil matters -- and leave religion to the private conscience of each individual.
"As if banning books from the library were not bad enough, board members are revealing their true nature by putting prayer before meetings," FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor says. "The commissioners should stop their prayers immediately, and not channel their personal dogmatic beliefs to control what books are available to the public."
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The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters relating to nontheism. With more than 41,000 members and several chapters across the country, including almost 1,000 members and a chapter in North Carolina, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.
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Original text here: https://ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-challenges-n-c-countys-christian-agenda/
[Category: Religion]
Boston Foundation: Asian Community Fund Announces 59 New Grants to Support and Strengthen AAPI Communities
BOSTON, Massachusetts, June 18 -- The Boston Foundation issued the following news release on June 17, 2026:
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The Asian Community Fund announces 59 new grants to support and strengthen AAPI communities
$635,000 grant round, largest in ACF history, brings total grantmaking to $2.4 million since 2022
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The Asian Community Fund at the Boston Foundation (ACF), the first and only fund exclusively dedicated to supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities in Massachusetts, today announced it is distributing $635,000 to 59 organizations, setting a record for the fund's largest
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BOSTON, Massachusetts, June 18 -- The Boston Foundation issued the following news release on June 17, 2026:
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The Asian Community Fund announces 59 new grants to support and strengthen AAPI communities
$635,000 grant round, largest in ACF history, brings total grantmaking to $2.4 million since 2022
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The Asian Community Fund at the Boston Foundation (ACF), the first and only fund exclusively dedicated to supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities in Massachusetts, today announced it is distributing $635,000 to 59 organizations, setting a record for the fund's largestgrantmaking docket.
The grants, focused on the theme of uplifting Survival, Solidarity, and Stability and addressing the community's most urgent needs will support a wide range of efforts, including legal services and advocacy, food insecurity, economic stability, community well-being and belonging. Coupled with last month's announcement of the ACF's first-ever AAPI narrative change grants, the new round brings ACF's cumulative grantmaking in 2026 to $750,000, and a total of $2.4 million allocated to 135 community nonprofits since the Fund's grantmaking launch in 2022.
"The breadth and impact of these 59 organizations highlight the critical work being done across Massachusetts to protect, defend and promote AAPI and immigrant communities in the face of continuing challenges," said Danielle Kim, Executive Director of the Asian Community Fund. "These organizations are not waiting--they are showing up, every day, with creativity and resilience, to build the community we all deserve. The Asian Community Fund and our remarkable partners and donors are proud to celebrate and invest their vital work to uplift AAPI visibility, power, and belonging."
Importantly, 34% of these 59 organizations are first-time ACF grant recipients, and 70 percent have annual budgets under $500,000. Reflecting ACF's mission to expand access to philanthropy and strengthen the local AAPI nonprofit sector, three-quarters of the grantee partners have 5 or fewer staff, and 31 percent are entirely volunteer-run. Keeping with the community commitment of the program, applications were reviewed by 40 volunteer reviewers, as well as by the ACF's community-led Advisory Committee. In all, the review team received 126 applications, requesting more than $2.4 million in funding support.
"This cycle highlights two fundamental truths. We are fortunate to live in a region where we can count on the remarkable generosity of our donors and volunteers, sharing their time and investing their resources in support of the Commonwealth's growing and ever more vibrant AAPI population," said Paul W. Lee, Chair and Co-Founder of the Asian Community Fund. "However, the record number of applications for funding, from across the state, highlights both the widespread need and the number of community organizations providing support in these difficult times. We are grateful for their work and dedicated to growing our commitment moving forward."
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Meet the 2026 grantees:
$30,000 (to be distributed over 2 years):
Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence
Asian Women for Health
Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Greater Lowell (CMAA)
Saheli Boston
Vietnamese American Initiative for Development (VietAID)
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$15,000
Asian American Civic Association
Chinese Progressive Association
CHUANG Stage
Company One
Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center
South Asian Workers Center
TiE Boston Foundation
White Snake Projects
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$10,000
1975: A Vietnamese Diaspora Memorial
Advocacy for Refugee and Immigrant Services for Empowerment (ARISE)
Asian American Women's Political Initiative
Asian Community Development Corporation
Azerbaijan Cultural Center
Boston Festival Orchestra
Chinese American Association of Lexington
Circle of Vietnamese Parents
Harvard Square Philippine American Alliance
India Association of Greater Boston
Kwong Kow Chinese School
LASA Foundation
Little Ant World
Massachusetts Baptist Multicultural Ministry
Merrimack Valley Immigrant and Education Center
Newton Cantonese School
No Worker Left Behind
Off-Kendrik
Panethnic Pourovers
Philippine American Mainstream Advocacy for Nonpartisan Associations (PAMANA)
Prabasi
Quincy Asian Resources, Inc. (QARI)
Refugees & Immigrants Cultural Empowerment Massachusetts (RICEMA)
Revere Youth in Action
Sahiyo
Springfield Vietnamese Cultural Association
Urban Impact Initiative Massachusetts
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$5,000
Belmont Pan-Asian Coalition
Bibim Together
Brookline Asian American Family Network (BAAFN)
Cambridge Chinese Choral Society (CCCS)
Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center
Enhance Asian Community on Health (EACH)
Indian Community of Needham (ICON)
Indras Artistic Creations
Lucky Knot Arts
Mabazza Foundation
Mather Elementary School's Vietnamese Dual Language Program
Meher Foundation
MITHAS: MIT Heritage Arts of South Asia
New England Bangladeshi American Foundation, Inc.
Quincy Votes
Shishu Bharati School
TurkicStan Center
UMass Amherst, Asian and Asian American Arts and Culture Program (AAAACP)
Vermilion Theater
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Original text here: https://www.tbf.org/news-and-insights/press-releases/2026/june/asian-community-fund-2026-grants
New multi-million programme to tackle black carbon and protect health
LONDON, England, June 17 -- Wellcome, a charitable foundation, posted the following news release:
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New multi-million programme to tackle black carbon and protect health
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The landmark programme will focus on delivering health and climate gains by supporting research, policy and advocacy efforts to accelerate action where it is most urgently needed.
Why black carbon?
Also known as soot, black carbon is a potent pollutant with major impacts on human health and climate change. It is a contributor to poor air quality and is linked to lung disease, heart disease and premature deaths, with
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LONDON, England, June 17 -- Wellcome, a charitable foundation, posted the following news release:
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New multi-million programme to tackle black carbon and protect health
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The landmark programme will focus on delivering health and climate gains by supporting research, policy and advocacy efforts to accelerate action where it is most urgently needed.
Why black carbon?
Also known as soot, black carbon is a potent pollutant with major impacts on human health and climate change. It is a contributor to poor air quality and is linked to lung disease, heart disease and premature deaths, withemerging evidence for an increased risk of cancer and dementia.
These negative impacts disproportionately affect the most marginalised communities globally.
Black carbon is also one of the super pollutants, alongside methane and tropospheric ozone, that are responsible for half of global warming to date. It accelerates the melting of glaciers and polar icecaps and disrupts regional weather systems, including monsoons.
As it only remains in the atmosphere for a short time, targeting black carbon and other super-pollutants can act as an 'emergency brake' on climate change, delivering rapid benefits for people's health and the planet. Analysis shows a 70% black carbon emissions reduction is technically feasible by 2030 relative to 2010 levels.
Our goal to slash emissions
The programme will help close critical evidence gaps on black carbon's health and climate impacts to enable more effective, data-driven policy and regulatory interventions. By strengthening the evidence base and translating it into action, we aim to catalyse solutions that deliver near-term health and climate benefits at scale. We are prioritising the communities most burdened by air pollution and least served by existing policies.
This investment marks an important step forward in bringing together health and climate action. This programme is one of the first major philanthropic efforts to focus on the combined health and climate benefits of tackling black carbon, helping to build momentum for further investment and collaboration across the field.
Through this programme, we will support research, policy and advocacy efforts to accelerate progress and embed health more strongly within initiatives to tackle super pollutants globally.
Jane Burston OBE, CEO at Clean Air Fund said:
"Reducing black carbon, alongside other super pollutants, is the fastest, most effective way to slow climate change, and reap huge benefits for people's health. Thanks to Wellcome, this programme will provide the evidence for action where it's most needed, in places where the impacts of air pollution are hitting hardest."
Rachel Huxley, Head of Mitigation at Wellcome, said:
"Black carbon is a major but often overlooked driver of both ill health and climate change. This programme will help turn evidence into action, delivering rapid benefits where they are needed most."
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Original text here: https://wellcome.org/insights/articles/new-multi-million-programme-tackle-black-carbon-and-protect-health
Lumina Foundation Issues Commentary: Adults Want to Go Back to School
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, June 17 -- The Lumina Foundation issued the following commentary by strategy officer for access Mary Laphen Pope and Wendy Sedlak, strategy director for research and evaluation:
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Adults want to go back to school. We should make it easier.
What adult students need to turn intent into enrollment
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If millions of adults say they want more education or training, why aren't more of them enrolling?
It's not because of a lack of interest or motivation. Rather, the gap between interest and enrollment reflects a growing mismatch between the realities of adult learners'
... Show Full Article
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, June 17 -- The Lumina Foundation issued the following commentary by strategy officer for access Mary Laphen Pope and Wendy Sedlak, strategy director for research and evaluation:
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Adults want to go back to school. We should make it easier.
What adult students need to turn intent into enrollment
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If millions of adults say they want more education or training, why aren't more of them enrolling?
It's not because of a lack of interest or motivation. Rather, the gap between interest and enrollment reflects a growing mismatch between the realities of adult learners'lives and how colleges are designed to serve them.
New research shows that just over one-quarter of adults intend to enroll in education or training within the next two years. That represents about 65 million prospective learners nationwide--an important opportunity as the looming demographic cliff shrinks the number of traditional college-age students. The same survey shows that adults' cost and time pressures remain persistent barriers preventing their intentions from becoming reality.
Across multiple studies, the findings are consistent: Americans continue to believe education beyond high school has value, and many express interest in enrolling. Yet financial concerns, competing responsibilities, and uncertainty about outcomes often stand in the way. More than 8 in 10 prospective adult learners say cost is a barrier, and two-thirds point to time constraints as a major challenge. Too often, adult learners encounter colleges whose structures, processes, and assumptions were built around high school-age students, leaving adults to navigate and adapt on their own.
Removing barriers to enrollment
The new analysis reinforces this idea. Adults across income levels, racial and ethnic groups, and educational backgrounds continue to view education and training after high school as relevant to their lives. Many want to gain skills for their careers, while others are seeking personal growth or paths to new opportunities.
These motives align closely with findings from Lumina-Gallup surveys, which show learners increasingly focused on practical outcomes like career advancement, skill development, and economic mobility, alongside broader personal benefits.
But motivation alone is not enough.
For adults balancing work schedules, caregiving responsibilities, and financial risk, enrolling in college is a high-stakes decision. When encountering unclear program options, complex enrollment steps, limited flexibility, or delayed responses, that decision often tips towards inaction.
Shifting from risk to investment
The research underscores the importance of focusing not only on who wants to enroll, but on what prevents them from doing so and how systems can respond. Several implications stand out:
* There is no single "adult learner strategy." Different groups face different barriers. Lower-income students and those with less prior education may benefit most from financial assistance, simplified enrollment processes, and high-touch advising. Meanwhile, those in the workforce considering returning to school often face intense time constraints, highlighting the need for flexible schedules, modular pathways, and clearer connections between programs and career advancement.
* Reducing friction matters. Small administrative hurdles such as complex applications, unclear steps, and delayed communication can disproportionately affect learners balancing multiple responsibilities. Responsiveness and clarity aren't conveniences. They're essential for adult learner enrollment.
* The value proposition must be clear. Adults are making high-stakes decisions about where to invest their time and money. When colleges clearly communicate costs, time commitments, and labor-market results, enrollment becomes less of a gamble and more of an investment. This effort to help learners gain real value from learning is also the mission at Lumina Foundation, where our national goal for 2040 is to help 75 percent of U.S. adults earn degrees or credentials of value leading to economic prosperity.
Finally, these findings highlight a critical opportunity for policymakers and institutions. The demand exists. The challenge is designing systems that focus on adult learners instead of expecting them to fit systems built for someone else.
At Lumina Foundation, we believe expanding access to education that delivers value requires listening carefully to what learners are telling us. The message is clear: adults are interested, motivated, and ready. The next step is ensuring that our policies and practices remove the barriers standing between intent and opportunity.
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About the Authors
Wendy Sedlak, Ph.D., is the strategy director for research and evaluation at Lumina Foundation, which works to help all Americans continue to learn and train after high school. Before joining Lumina, Sedlak worked at Equal Measure, where she directed projects to benefit students, including many complex national systems-change evaluations.
Mary Laphen Pope is Lumina Foundation's strategy officer for access. Before joining Lumina, she worked at the Tennessee Higher Education Commission as director of Navigate Reconnect, a statewide initiative that supports older students and returning adults.
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Original text here: https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/adults-want-to-go-back-to-school-we-should-make-it-easier/
Foundation Announces Scholarship Awards to 12 Students for 2026-2027 Academic Year
WASHINGTON, June 17 -- The Equipment Leasing and Finance Foundation posted the following news release:
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Foundation Announces Scholarship Awards to 12 Students for 2026-2027 Academic Year
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Washington, DC, June 17, 2026 -The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (Foundation) announces that 12 outstanding students are recipients of the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation Scholarship, a program for students interested in potentially pursuing a career in the $1.3 trillion equipment finance industry. Each student will receive a scholarship of $5,000 for the 2026-2027 academic year.
The
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WASHINGTON, June 17 -- The Equipment Leasing and Finance Foundation posted the following news release:
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Foundation Announces Scholarship Awards to 12 Students for 2026-2027 Academic Year
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Washington, DC, June 17, 2026 -The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (Foundation) announces that 12 outstanding students are recipients of the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation Scholarship, a program for students interested in potentially pursuing a career in the $1.3 trillion equipment finance industry. Each student will receive a scholarship of $5,000 for the 2026-2027 academic year.
TheEquipment Leasing & Finance Foundation Scholarship is part of the Foundation's Campus to Career academic outreach program developed to attract the next-generation workforce to the equipment finance industry. Launched in 2020 with three initial scholarship awards, the scholarship program has grown steadily with the number of awards increasing to 12 this year due to the generosity of Foundation donors. The program has awarded scholarships to 48 student recipients to date.
The scholarship recipients are:
* Halle Aasand, studying business at Green River College in Auburn, Washington. She is pursuing a bachelor's degree in accounting, and recently completed a marketing internship at AP Equipment Financing.
* Immanuella Akumabor, a graduate student at Georgia Institute of Technology pursuing a Master of Science in Quantitative and Computational Finance, expected to graduate in December 2027. She has gained hands-on experience through internships at LexisNexis Risk Solutions and SEO, and currently serves as a financial analyst intern at Georgia Institute of Technology.
* Tiana Burton, pursuing an MBA at Clark Atlanta University and building on over 10 years of leadership and human resources experience gained while serving in the U.S. Army. She earned her bachelor's degree in business administration in 2025.
* Estefany Calderon, a finance and economics student at Loyola University New Orleans, set to graduate in 2028. She was introduced to equipment leasing and finance through a financial administration internship at a local construction firm.
* Mason Conrad, a business administration major concentrating in finance at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, expected to graduate in May 2027. This summer, he will intern at KeyBank's New York City office.
* Megan Crosby, studying finance student at the University of Florida, set to graduate in May 2028. In addition to her coursework, she was a senior analyst in UF's FinTech Program and an intern at Square1.
* Kaedin Duong, a student-athlete studying interprofessional health science, data and business analytics at Seton Hall University, set to graduate in 2028. He is currently contributing to the growth and business development of a consumer packaged goods start-up in New York City.
* Grayson Fuchs, a global business leadership major at Saint John's University, set to graduate in spring 2027. He looks forward to gaining industry experience through his internship at Oakmont Capital Services.
* Zachary Kramer, studying business administration with a finance emphasis at Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa, expected to graduate in December 2026. He has interned at Western Equipment Finance in their sales department and is currently interning at Hampton Ridge Financial on their sales team.
* Ashley McNeer, currently pursuing a Master of Business in Management at Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas, with an expected graduation date of December 2026. She is an account manager at De Lage Landen.
* Carter Pettey, pursuing a dual degree in mathematics and finance at Carthage College, Kenosha, Wisconsin, set to graduate in May 2027. This will be his second summer interning at Abbott Laboratories as a financial analyst.
* Sarah Wells, a finance and accounting major at Indiana University Bloomington, expected to graduate in spring 2027. This summer she will be working as a commercial tax intern at Baker Tilly.
As part of the Foundation's ongoing effort to engage the next generation work force, the 2026 scholarship recipients will be invited to participate in professional development and networking opportunities with the Equipment Leasing & Finance Association (ELFA).
"I am delighted to congratulate the Foundation scholarship recipients on their academic achievements, and hope that our scholarship program, as well as other Campus to Career resources, helps them feel welcome in the equipment finance industry," said Miles Herman, President and CEO of LEAF Commercial Capital, Inc. and Chair of the Foundation Board of Trustees. "The future of our industry depends on the people entering it today, and investing in student talent is a critical way to help ensure a strong pipeline of professionals. We're grateful to our generous donors for supporting the future workforce of our industry."
The Foundation scholarship program is an outgrowth of the success of the Foundation's Campus to Career Presentation Program in which industry professionals volunteer to lecture at colleges and universities about the equipment finance industry and its possible career paths.
To learn more, visit https://www.leasefoundation.org/campus-to-career/2026-scholarship-program/
About the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation
Founded in 1989, the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation is the equipment finance industry's definitive resource for workforce development. Through talent development, thought leadership, and workforce evolution, the Foundation strengthens the industry and the professionals who power it - connecting organizations, educators, and emerging professionals to build the talent pipeline of tomorrow. The Foundation is 100% donor funded. www.leasefoundation.org
Media Contact: Kelli Nienaber, knienaber@leasefoundation.org
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Original text here: https://www.leasefoundation.org/news_item/foundation-announces-scholarship-awards-to-12-students-for-2026-2027-academic-year/
Boston Foundation: Report Shows College Completion Rates of BPS Graduates Dipped Slightly During the COVID-19 Pandemic, But Remain Near Recent Trends
BOSTON, Massachusetts, June 17 (TNSrpt) -- The Boston Foundation issued the following news release:
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New report shows college completion rates of BPS graduates dipped slightly during the COVID-19 pandemic, but remain near recent trends
Boston Public Schools graduating classes are enrolling and persisting in postsecondary education at higher levels than during COVID-19, but they have not yet caught up with where they were before the pandemic. That's the overall finding from a new assessment of BPS postsecondary enrollment and completion conducted by the Boston Private Industry Council in
... Show Full Article
BOSTON, Massachusetts, June 17 (TNSrpt) -- The Boston Foundation issued the following news release:
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New report shows college completion rates of BPS graduates dipped slightly during the COVID-19 pandemic, but remain near recent trends
Boston Public Schools graduating classes are enrolling and persisting in postsecondary education at higher levels than during COVID-19, but they have not yet caught up with where they were before the pandemic. That's the overall finding from a new assessment of BPS postsecondary enrollment and completion conducted by the Boston Private Industry Council incollaboration with the Boston Foundation.
The report, entitled Persisting Through the Pandemic and Beyond: Trends in the College Enrollment, Persistence, and Completion Experiences of BPS Graduates, also noted disparities in college enrollment and completion for BPS graduates across gender and race-ethnic groups, and a persistent gap between Boston's exam and non-exam schools.
"The gender and race-ethnic differences in college enrollment and completion outcomes for Boston Public School graduates are not unique to Boston and mirror national findings. The recent trend in college completion rates points to a need to expand efforts that go beyond college access and improve college success rates" said Joseph McLaughlin, Director of Research and Strategy at the Boston Private Industry Council and co-author of the report.
"This report highlights the hard work and long-term commitment that is needed to recover from the disruption of the pandemic and the instability and challenges facing higher education more broadly," said Antoniya Marinova, Associate Vice President for Programs at the Boston Foundation. "Creating promising initiatives is part of the solution - but we also need to restate the case for the importance of postsecondary credentials, the doors they open for higher incomes and quality careers, and the supports needed to help students get there."
Reversing the Trends - Slowly
BPS graduates are recovering from pandemic lows in college enrollment and persistence. Overall first-year college enrollment rates, which dropped from 63.8% for the BPS Class of 2019 to 54.6% for the Class of 2020, have recovered to 57.3% for the Class of 2024. But rates for Black and Latino students, which fell most sharply during the pandemic, are not recovering as quickly. Just 49% of Latino graduates from the BPS Class of 2024 enrolled in higher education the first year after graduating, in sharp contrast to the 62.8% of the BPS Class of 2018 who did so.
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Chart: TRENDS IN FIRST-YEAR COLLEGE ENROLLMENT RATE OF BPS CLASSES OF 2015-2024
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The effects of the pandemic were particularly pronounced for student enrollment in 2-year public colleges. Programs such as MassEducate and MassReconnect have proven widely successful in increasing overall enrollment at community college campuses, but they have not yet helped generate the same enrollment gains among BPS students. The percentage of BPS graduates choosing 2-year public college right after graduation has fallen sharply from 19.6% of the BPS Class of 2019, to 12.9% for the Class of 2020, and just 13.9% for the Class of 2024.
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Chart: TRENDS IN FIRST-YEAR ENROLLMENT RATES BY TYPE OF POSTSECONDARY INSTITUTIONS FIRST ATTENDED, BPS CLASSES OF 2015-2024
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Persistence and Completion - Continuing Gender and Racial Gaps
One-year persistence rates showed that more students stopped out of college during the COVID-19 pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, but persistence rates have improved more recently. The improved persistence into the second year of college for more recent BPS graduates may increase completion outcomes over time.
The six-year college completion rates remained fairly stable (in the low 50s percentages), rising slightly for the Class of 2017, before dipping for the Classes of 2018 and 2019. The pandemic closures and switch to remote learning in 2020 interrupted these graduates' first years of college and likely contributed to the slight decline in their completion.
But the data continue to show wide racial and gender gaps. For the Class of 2019, over 55% of female BPS graduates who enrolled in postsecondary programs had completed a postsecondary credential in six years, versus 45% of males. And while 78% of enrolled White BPS graduates and 75% of Asians received their postsecondary credential in six years, just 41% of Latinos and 37% of Black enrollees did. Black and Latino male enrollees were less than half as likely as Asian or White peers to graduate in six years.
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Chart: SIX-YEAR COLLEGE COMPLETION RATES OF FIRST-YEAR ENROLLEES BY GENDER AND RACE-ETHNIC GROUP, BPS CLASS OF 2019
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A similarly large gap persisted for exam school students versus non-exam school students from the Class of 2019. While nearly 79% of exam school students completed college in six years, just 36% of non-exam school graduates who enrolled were able to do so.
An examination of the data by type of institution suggests a continuing opportunity for the region's community colleges to attract and retain students. Just 21% of the BPS Class of 2019 who enrolled in a two-year public college had earned a credential six years later, a third of the rate of those who enrolled in 4-year public or 4-year private colleges. Notably, the two-year college completion rate for BPS graduates was less than half the two-year college completion rate for the Class of 2019 nationally.
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Chart: SIX-YEAR COLLEGE COMPLETION RATES OF BPS CLASS OF 2019 FALL ENROLLEES BY TYPE OF INSTITUTION COMPARED TO U.S. AVERAGES FOR FIRST-TIME, FALL 2019 ENROLLEES (UNDER 21 YEARS OF AGE)
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Understanding the impact of new and strengthened programs to support BPS students and graduates in finding, persisting and completing their chosen college and career paths will take further study. But more work is likely ahead. "To make substantial gains in the college completion rates of BPS graduates," the report notes, "policymakers, education leaders, and private sector employers will likely need to collaborate on additional strategies to improve completion and post-graduation employment outcomes."
One new collaborative effort to boost college enrollment and ensure that recent BPS graduates are aware of MassEducate and other postsecondary training opportunities is planned for this summer. BPS is launching a new collaboration to support Class of 2026 graduates and recent alumni with the transition to postsecondary education and training during the summer months. BPS is partnering with Boston University's Path Advising Program, the PIC, and other partners to provide support to recent graduates to help them with college enrollment and financial aid decisions as well as provide access to training opportunities.
"This report highlights both the progress we have made and the work that remains to ensure every student is prepared for success after high school," said Assistant Superintendent of the Office of College, Career & Life Readiness, Brett Dickens. "Through expanded access to Early College, Advanced Placement, and other advanced coursework opportunities, more students are building the skills and earning the credits needed for postsecondary success. We have seen a nearly tenfold increase in Early College participation and significant growth in AP coursework, and we are continuing to build on that momentum through targeted efforts, including a new Early College consortium designed to expand opportunities for multilingual learners, while strengthening supports such as our summer transition center to help more students enroll in, persist through, and complete their postsecondary pathways."
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REPORT: https://www.tbf.org/-/media/tbf/reports-and-covers/2026/2026-persisting-through-the-pandemic-trends-report.pdf
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Original text here: https://www.tbf.org/news-and-insights/press-releases/2026/june/persisting-through-the-pandemic-and-beyond-release
