Funding search · EIN 351813228 · Indianapolis, IN

Lumina Foundation for Education

$119.1M
in grants paid: 1,029
grants: 599
recipients: 2022–2024
filing years

Recent grants

The 100 largest recent grants from this foundation’s filings, newest year first.

$2.5M
Blackbaud Giving Fund · Charleston, SC · 2024
To support Lumina's 2023-2024 Gift Programs through the Blackbaud Giving Fund.
$900,000
Georgetown University · Washington, DC · 2024
To strengthen the alignment of postsecondary education and workforce via research and technical assistance.
$750,000
Northern Arizona University Foundation · Flagstaff, AZ · 2024
To expand Northern Arizona University's universal admissions program to nine Arizona community college districts
$750,000
Trustees of the California State University · Long Beach, CA · 2024
To automate admissions to the CSU system through California's official K-12 college & career readiness platform
$750,000
Illinois Board of Higher Education · Springfield, IL · 2024
To implement direct admissions statewide in Illinois for community college transfer students and high school seniors, using the Common App
$745,000
The Third Way Foundation · Washington, DC · 2024
To assess the true costs of developing and offering short-term workforce development programs at community colleges and evaluate the implications of these costs for school administrators.
$740,000
Complete College America · Indianapolis, IN · 2024
to support the continued implementation of the Historically Black Community College Network
$700,000
Competency-Based Education Network · Franklin, TN · 2024
To pilot competency-based math course redesign models to foster more equitable pathways to success at community colleges
$670,000
John N Gardner Institute · Brevard, NC · 2024
To work with Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education institutions to create and implement five-year plans that transform the foundational postsecondary experience.
$650,000
Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association · Arlington, VA · 2024
To support public television news broadcast segments related to the nation's need for increased educational attainment after high school.
$650,000
Washington Monthly Institute · Washington, DC · 2024
To support independent, policy-oriented journalism about issues vital to creating a better-educated country.
$550,000
Research for Action · Philadelphia, PA · 2024
To conduct research and evaluation on Lumina's Great Admissions Redesign Challenge grantees.
$450,000
Association of Community College Trustees · Washington, DC · 2024
To support the Kids on Campus framework for co-locating Head Start programs on community college campuses
$425,000
Suny Impact Foundation · New York, NY · 2024
To support the SUNY system in implementing the ASAP | ACE model with 10 institutions.
$400,000
Public Radio Exchange · Minneapolis, MN · 2024
To support coverage of immigrants seeking education and training after high school.
$350,000
Rutgers the State University of New Jersey · New Brunswick, NJ · 2024
To support sustainability efforts of the Non-degree Credentials Research Network (NCRN)
$350,000
Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System · Madison, WI · 2024
To study the impact of integrating proactive financial aid notifications with direct admissions programs in at least two states, in partnership with Scholarship America
$330,000
Vip Consortium · Atlanta, GA · 2024
To further the efforts of the Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) Consortium of postsecondary institutions seeking to enhance student employability.
$330,000
Louisiana Board of Regents · Baton Rouge, LA · 2024
To support a faculty professional development program to equip faculty with equity-driven pedagogical tools to improve student learning and close equity gaps.
$300,000
Louisiana Board of Regents · Baton Rouge, LA · 2024
To plan for automated admissions for Louisiana's universal transfer pathway students and high school seniors
$300,000
Community Services Society of New York · New York, NY · 2024
To provide capacity building support to the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program.
$300,000
Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University · Carbondale, IL · 2024
To support the SIU system to implement evidence-based interventions to improve academic progress, decrease DFW rates, and increase students' sense of belonging.
$300,000
Unidosus · Washington, DC · 2024
To support research, policy analysis, and non-partisan advocacy in support of efforts to increase postsecondary attainment and quality for Latino students in postsecondary education.
$300,000
Miami University · Oxford, OH · 2024
To implement a faculty professional development intervention to promote innovation and equity in redesigning programs, courses, and learning environments.
$300,000
Regents of the University of California - Merced · Merced, CA · 2024
To conduct an analysis of student family wealth and existing Pell awards towards the development of the framework of a supplemental, wealth-based Pell Grant
$275,000
Open Campus Media · Washington Dc, IN · 2024
To support in-depth coverage of race and equity in higher education, and higher education coverage in Indiana.
$265,000
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development · 2024
To identify international best practices in how collaboration between higher ed institutions, cities, and regions can support sustainable development goals.
$250,000
American Academy of Arts and Sciences · Cambridge, MA · 2024
To support the Aspen Higher Education Forum with journalists' participation.
$250,000
Schott Foundation for Public Education the · Cambridge, MA · 2024
To provide operating support for the next iteration of the Executives' Alliance for Boys and Men of Color.
$250,000
Amalgamated Charitable Foundation · Washington, DC · 2024
To support the Higher Ed Forward joint funder effort designed to advance student success, academic freedom, and democratic principles through designated pooled funding.
$250,000
Education Strategy Group · Chevy Chase, MD · 2024
To provide technical assistance to SHEEOs involved in cross-agency workforce collaboratives, and facilitate the launch for an 8 state collaborative on electric vehicles.
$250,000
Leadership Conference Education Fund the · Washington, DC · 2024
To convene a coalition of national civil rights partners around advancing racial equity and economic mobility in federal higher education policy
$250,000
Texas Higher Education Foundation · Austin, TX · 2024
To develop direct admissions pathways for Texas students using the state's official college & career readiness platform
$250,000
Washington Student Achievement Council · Olympia, WA · 2024
To conduct research around the narrative surrounding higher education and its benefits and deliver new messaging to target audiences
$250,000
State Higher Education Executive Officers · Boulder, CO · 2024
To build capacity among SHEEOs to advance equitable policy agendas.
$230,000
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law · Washington, DC · 2024
To address challenges arising from US Supreme Court rulings prohibiting colleges and universities from considering race as one factor among many in college admissions
$210,000
Memorial Community Development Corporation · Evansville, IN · 2024
To provide general operating support for Our Times, a Black community newspaper in Evansville, Indiana.
$200,000
Project On Predatory Student Lending · Jamaica Plain, MA · 2024
To support the Project on Predatory Student Lending in building infrastructure to harness student borrower clients' voices.
$200,000
Georgia State University Foundation · Atlanta, GA · 2024
To support The National Institute for Student Success to deliver its Diagnostic Playbook services to 3 SUNY institutions.
$200,000
Free Press Indiana · Indianapolis, IN · 2024
To support advertising and marketing efforts to build audience and brand recognition for a local newsroom.
$200,000
Linked Learning Alliance · San Francisco, CA · 2024
To evaluate the implementation and progress of the Golden State Pathways Program in California.
$200,000
Foundation for California Community Colleges · Sacramento, CA · 2024
To support implementation of California's Master Plan for Career Education.
$200,000
Foundation for California Community Colleges · Sacramento, CA · 2024
To support the California Education Learning Lab to develop a novel statewide, intersegmental professional learning cooperative serving California's public higher education institutions.
$200,000
Research Foundation of Cuny · New York, NY · 2024
To support professional development of CUNY four-year and two-year college faculty on the ethical use of AI and the development of open educational resources for using AI in the classroom.
$200,000
Excelencia in Education · Washington, DC · 2024
To inform institutional, state, and national policy with practices and strategies to address affordability and more intentionally serve Latino students
$200,000
National Student Legal Defense Network · Washington, DC · 2024
To support policy analysis and advocacy addressing reverse redlining and basic needs insecurity in higher education.
$200,000
Civic News Company · New York, NY · 2024
To support higher education coverage in Colorado.
$200,000
Student Borrower Protection Center · Washington, DC · 2024
To conduct an analysis of companies that facilitate low-quality, high-cost education and training and a study exploring the implication of student loan debt on perceptions of the value of higher education.
$180,000
Data Quality Campaign · Washington, DC · 2024
To elevate the use of state longitudinal data systems in automating admissions processes and to provide TA to Great Admissions Redesign grantees
$180,000
American Association of Colleges and Universities · Washington, DC · 2024
To support the rollout of Democracy Re/Designed and support IDHE's transition to AAC&U
$175,000
Partnership for College Completion · Chicago, IL · 2024
To support community engagement and strategic communications related to equitable higher education policy in Illinois.
$174,800
Trellis Strategies · Round Rock, TX · 2024
To develop solutions for improving college participation and student success among transportation-challenged students at community colleges.
$156,800
Steve Fund the · Providence, RI · 2024
To poll students about their perceptions of campus climate and the impact on their mental health.
$150,000
Washington Student Achievement Council · Olympia, WA · 2024
To plan for a proactive admissions process that ties in financial aid eligibility
$150,000
Free Press · Washington, DC · 2024
To provide general operating support for a nonpartisan nonprofit that strengthens local news through public policy education.
$150,000
Capital B News · New York, NY · 2024
To provide general operating support to a nonprofit news organization that's strengthening the local news ecosystem nationally.
$150,000
University of Vermont and State Agricultural College Foundation · Burlington, VT · 2024
To support the expansion of SUNY's student reporting programs that bolster local news coverage.
$150,000
New England Commission of Higher Education · Wakefield, MA · 2024
To build on the work of the Lumina-funded NECHE Taskforce on Non-Credit Credential Recognition by piloting the use of a new Non-Credit quality assurance framework at 4-6 member and non-member institutions.
$150,000
New Venture Fund · Washington, DC · 2024
To support efforts of the Census Equity Initiative encouraging people to complete the American Community Survey.
$150,000
Center for Racial Equity in Education · Charlotte, NC · 2024
To support CREED to elevate policy to improve opportunities for students attending North Carolina's ten Historically Black Colleges and Universities (NC10).
$150,000
Washington Monthly Institute · Washington, DC · 2024
To support research on public policy solutions for local news sustainability.
$150,000
Urban Institute the · Washington, DC · 2024
To support the development of a set of community impact measures that demonstrate community colleges' social value
$150,000
Equity Research Cooperative · Philadelphia, PA · 2024
To launch research projects and build coalitions to create actionable evidence for college affordability, including the free college and student debt relief movement.
$150,000
Arizona State University Foundation for a New American University · Tempe, AZ · 2024
To support strategy and implementation planning for the University Innovation Alliance.
$150,000
Clean Power Institute · Washington, DC · 2024
To pilot a community college training program for wind technicians.
$145,000
Council for Adult and Experiential Learning · Chicago, IL · 2024
To provide technical assistance to the 5 HBCU Adult Learner Initiative institutions in North Carolina.
$140,000
National Center for Civic Innovation · New York, NY · 2024
To support the Policy Strategy Session on Higher Education and Immigration (March 2025) and SUCCESS Convening (September 2025)
$140,000
Michigan State University · East Lansing, MI · 2024
To support research on trusted messengers for local news in Indiana.
$130,000
Regents of the University of California - Davis · Davis, CA · 2024
To map community college enrollment patterns and course offerings in California.
$125,000
Advance Illinois · Chicago, IL · 2024
To support Advance Illinois' efforts to educate the public about state-level policies that increase postsecondary attainment and improve outcomes.
$125,000
Afl-Cio Working for America Institute · Washington, DC · 2024
To develop and deploy a universally recognized advanced manufacturing certification program in partnership with community colleges in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.
$125,000
Johnson C Smith University · Charlotte, NC · 2024
To build the capacity to serve adult learners at HBCUs.
$125,000
Winston-Salem State University · Winstonsalem, NC · 2024
To build the capacity to serve adult learners at HBCUs.
$125,000
Shaw University · Raleigh, NC · 2024
To build the capacity to serve adult learners at HBCUs.
$125,000
Elizabeth City State University · Elizabeth City, NC · 2024
To build the capacity to serve adult learners at HBCUs.
$120,000
International Center for Journalists · Washington, DC · 2024
To support a convening with international journalists to design an initiative on college campuses focused on advancing free expression and free press.
$100,000
Pen America · New York, NY · 2024
To develop resources to support free speech in higher education
$100,000
Media Impact Funders · Philadelphia, PA · 2024
To support the 2025 and 2026 Media Impact Forum and Journalism Funders Network conferences.
$100,000
President and Fellows of Harvard College · Cambridge, MA · 2024
To help journalists understand and use research on higher education topics through The Journalist's Resource.
$100,000
Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy · Los Angeles, CA · 2024
To support the decarbonization efforts of the Los Angeles Unified School District through creation of training and certification pathways in the solar, infrastructure, and EV industries.
$100,000
Civic Nation · Washington, DC · 2024
To support the Change Collective Initiative.
$100,000
The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta · Lawrenceville, GA · 2024
To support The Pivot Fund's effort to invest in BIPOC-led community news through funding, capacity building, training, and collaboration.
$100,000
The Indianapolis Foundation · Indianapolis, IN · 2024
To support The Indianapolis Foundation's Center for Racial Equity and Economic Opportunity initiative.
$100,000
Council On Postsecondary Education · Frankfort, KY · 2024
To plan for the alignment of existing initiatives toward a simplified admissions process for Kentucky students
$100,000
Minnesota Education Equity Partnership · St Paul, MN · 2024
To support MNEEP's efforts to provide education about state-level policies that increase equitable postsecondary attainment.
$100,000
Civic News Company · New York, NY · 2024
To provide general operating support for the education news nonprofit Chalkbeat Indiana, a partner in the Indiana Local News Initiative.
$100,000
Office of Research Administration · Bloomington, IN · 2024
To leverage existing and future data from the NSSE Career & Workforce Preparation topical module.
$100,000
New School the · New York, NY · 2024
To support a design challenge around how community colleges in the South can become local news hubs.
$100,000
Tennessee Board of Regents · Nashville, TN · 2024
to build capacity to digitally engage adult learners in support of participation.
$100,000
Catalyst Education · New Orleans, LA · 2024
To support the Higher Education Equity Network (HEEN) to convene leaders, lead sector-wide dialogue and develop research on postsecondary outcomes for Black, Latino/a, and Indigenous students.
$100,000
Christel House International · Indianapolis, IN · 2024
To support the Christel House College and Careers program.
$100,000
National College Attainment Network · Washington, DC · 2024
To support NCAN's national digital communications campaign to increase FAFSA completion rates
$100,000
American Association of Colleges and Universities · Washington, DC · 2024
To plan for the launch of the Higher Education Democracy Initiative
$100,000
Indiana Citizen Education Foundation · Indianapolis, IN · 2024
To provide general operating support to a nonprofit news organization that provides nonpartisan coverage of elections and voting in Indiana.
$97,019
Bipartisan Policy Center · Washington, DC · 2024
To support Commission on the American Workforce in-person meetings hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center in 2025.
$90,000
United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization · 2024
Produce a series of case studies from across the globe of innovative approaches to promote employability and lifelong learning from HEIs, governments, employers or a combination of them
$80,000
Deep South Today · Ridgeland, MS · 2024
To support in-depth coverage of higher education issues in Mississippi.
$80,000
The Rp Group · San Rafael, CA · 2024
To support the RPGroup's implementation of an equity-centered strategic plan.
$79,900
Association of Community College Trustees · Washington, DC · 2024
To research the funding models for each of the 50 states and publicize the data to compare models.
$75,000
American Council On Education · Washington, DC · 2024
To support the development of a consortium that will provide higher education institutions with information and support related to the changing legislative landscape of reproductive healthcare

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Source: IRS Form 990-PF, Part XV, as filed by the foundation. These are grants already paid — a record of what this funder backs, not an open call. Most private foundations do not accept unsolicited applications; the route in is usually a program officer.