Funding search · EIN 351813228 · Indianapolis, IN
Lumina Foundation for Education
A private foundation (files IRS Form 990-PF). Most private foundations do not take unsolicited applications; the route in is usually a program officer.
- 1,029
- grants reported
- $119.1M
- total given
- 2022–2024
- filing years
- $20,000
- median grant
Based on grants this organization reported to the IRS for tax years 2022–2024. This is what they filed, not a complete record of their giving, and recent years may be incomplete because filings lag.
What they fund
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Funding pattern
What this funder pays for, at what size, and how to position adjacent work. Read from their filings, with every number checked against the record.
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3 grants matching “college access and success” · $600,000
- $25,000
Institute for College Access and Success the · Oakland, CA · 2024
To support TICAS's state policymaker network convening to discuss debt free college.
- $550,000
Institute for College Access and Success the · Oakland, CA · 2023
To support research, policy analysis, and nonpartisan advocacy that advances federal policies that support today's students.
- $25,000
Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education · Atlanta, GA · 2023
This Grant will support the Black Learner Success Community Conversation Summit which will be developing community-based strategies to address the decline in Black enrollment in postsecondary, vocational, and career pat… read allThis Grant will support the Black Learner Success Community Conversation Summit which will be developing community-based strategies to address the decline in Black enrollment in postsecondary, vocational, and career pathways in Georgia. The convening will bring together key stakeholders from community-based organizations, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, businesses, and policymakers from across Georgia to address the issue of barriers to college and career access in the state. This is the first opportunity for a state to amplify the work of HCM Strategists, LEVEL UP and Get REAL: Leveraging Explicit Value for Every Black Learner, Unapologetically and share the case-making document and national call to action. less
Top recipients
Repeat recipients are the strongest signal of whether a funder has an open door or quietly re-funds the same organizations.
- Blackbaud Giving Fund3 grants · $7.2M
- Georgetown University2 grants · $2.9M
- Foundation for California Community Colleges7 grants · $2.6M
- New America Foundation7 grants · $1.9M
- State Higher Education Executive Officers10 grants · $1.8M
- Century Foundation Inc the5 grants · $1.6M
- Complete College America11 grants · $1.5M
- American Council On Education5 grants · $1.5M
- Research Foundation of State University of New York3 grants · $1.4M
- Education Strategy Group4 grants · $1.4M
Giving over time
Grant history
The 100 largest of 1,029 grants.
- $2.5M
Blackbaud Giving Fund · Charleston, SC · 2024
To support Lumina's 2023-2024 Gift Programs through the Blackbaud Giving Fund.
- $2.4M
Blackbaud Giving Fund · Charleston, SC · 2022
Public charity conduit for Lumina staff, Board and retiree gifts to public charities.
- $2.3M
Blackbaud Giving Fund · Charleston, SC · 2023
Public charity conduit for lumina staff, board and retiree gifts to public charities.
- $2.0M
Georgetown University · Washington, DC · 2023
To examine attainment challenges to meet the needs of the modern workforce.
- $1.2M
National Skills Coalition · Washington, DC · 2023
To mobilize a diverse set of cross-sector teams from 15-20 states committed to expanding equitable access to and completion of quality non-degree credentials.
- $1.0M
National Student Clearinghouse Research Center · Herndon, DC · 2023
To produce 2024 & 2025 SCNC reports and add race/ethnicity to the 2024 & 2025 Undergraduate Degree Earners report.
- $1.0M
Ithaka Sr · New York, NY · 2023
To support scaling of stranded credit clearinghouse
- $1.0M
Louisiana Community and Technical College System Foundation · Baton Rouge, LA · 2023
To improve the brand-building efforts of the 12 colleges in the Louisiana Community and Technical College System to support enrollment of adult learners.
- $1.0M
State Center Community College District · Fresno, CA · 2022
To support marketing and brand-building efforts at college and ultimately increase enrollment of adult learners. (Madera Community College)
- $994,000
Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives Foundation · Alexandria, VA · 2023
To support 10-12 new communities to drive growth of credentialing and degree programs in their regions.
- $900,000
Georgetown University · Washington, DC · 2024
To strengthen the alignment of postsecondary education and workforce via research and technical assistance.
- $900,000
American Council On Education · Washington, DC · 2022
To develop a new classification scheme for higher education and related efforts
- $850,000
Hechinger Report the · New York, NY · 2023
To support in-depth national coverage on improving educational opportunities beyond high school.
- $835,000
US Chamber of Commerce Foundation · Washington, DC · 2023
To continue developing and implementing resources to states and community college partners for application of the Talent Pipeline Management framework.
- $800,000
Foundation for California Community Colleges · Sacramento, CA · 2023
To strengthen the three selected High Road Construction Careers partnership models between the State Building Trades, California Workforce Development Board, and other community organizations.
- $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
- $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
Higher Learning Advocates · Washington, DC · 2023
To support the organization's operations, strategic redevelopment, organizational planning, and responsive capacity changes.
- $750,000
American Journalism Project · Washington, DC · 2022
To support the Indiana Journalism Project.
- $745,200
Illinois Community College Board · Springfield, IL · 2022
To create or expand skills gap training for students of color in at-risk communities through support services, credential completion, and workforce training.
- $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
- $700,000
National Fund for Workforce Solutions · Washington, DC · 2023
To drive coordinated policy and practice changes across workplaces, workforce, and postsecondary education systems to ensure that race does not dictate employment outcomes.
- $700,000
New America Foundation · Washington, DC · 2023
To support a cohort of community colleges in strengthen, modernize, and update business models to enhance workforce development offerings.
- $700,000
Education Strategy Group · Chevy Chase, MD · 2022
To support the extension of the REACH Collaborative.
- $698,500
University of Pittsburgh · Pittsburgh, PA · 2023
To support the implementation of the REACH Deeper college cohort
- $675,000
American Institutes for Research · Arlington, VA · 2023
To research institutional change efforts that support adult learner participation
- $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.
- $650,000
Century Foundation Inc the · New York, NY · 2023
To expand the current Industry and Inclusion cohort to serve three community college systems in geographic regions that have large federal investments through the Build Back Better and Good Jobs Challenge programs.
- $650,000
Education Writers Association · Washington, DC · 2023
To support training for journalists that fosters informed, in-depth coverage of higher education and workforce training issues.
- $650,000
New America Foundation · Washington, DC · 2023
To support research, policy analysis, and nonpartisan advocacy that advances federal policies that support today's students
- $650,000
Washington Monthly Corporation · Washington, DC · 2022
To support independent, policy-oriented journalism about issues vital to creating a better-educated country.
- $650,000
Wgbh Educational Foundation · Boston, MA · 2022
To support in-depth reporting and a new podcast on higher education.
- $625,000
Century Foundation Inc the · New York, NY · 2023
To support research, policy analysis, and nonpartisan advocacy that advances federal policies that support today's students.
- $613,000
Research Foundation of State University of New York · Albany, NY · 2023
To support the implementation of Strategic Enrollment Management plans at SUNY Community Colleges.
- $600,000
American University · Washington, DC · 2023
To support expansion and use of a toolkit for higher education to respond to rising anti-democratic attitudes and beliefs.
- $600,000
Behavioral Ideas Lab · New York, NY · 2023
To transform admissions processes using behavioral science to increase adult enrollment in BA programs
- $600,000
Ditchley Foundation the · 2023
To explore shared systemic challenges among the US, UK, and other democracies.
- $600,000
Education Trust Inc the · Washington, DC · 2023
To support Ed Trust's capacity to engage with state and federal policymakers to preserve and advance equity in higher education policy
- $600,000
Foundation for California Community Colleges · Sacramento, CA · 2023
To support the California Community College System's deeper participation in the REACH Collaborative.
- $600,000
Foundation for California Community Colleges · Sacramento, CA · 2023
To support participation through the continuation of the strategic enrollment management work with an emphasis on implementation.
- $600,000
State Higher Education Executive Officers · Boulder, CO · 2023
To promote improved student mental health through state/system policy recommendations.
- $600,000
Coastal Enterprises · Brunswick, ME · 2022
To support the expansion of the Child Care Business Lab and development of a business model for peers nationwide
- $595,000
Research Foundation of State University of New York · Albany, NY · 2023
To support the New York Student Success Center's deeper participation in the REACH Collaborative.
- $575,000
American Association of State Colleges and Universities · Washington, DC · 2023
To prepare higher education leaders to create the conditions for an inclusive, equitable, and just democracy.
- $575,000
University of Hawaii Foundation · Honolulu, HI · 2022
To support Hawaii's efforts to increase Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Filipino attainment through the Talent, Innovation, and Equity initiative and Lumina's equity policy audit state cohort with the Education Tr… read allTo support Hawaii's efforts to increase Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Filipino attainment through the Talent, Innovation, and Equity initiative and Lumina's equity policy audit state cohort with the Education Trust. less
- $565,000
Colorado Community College System Foundation the · Denver, CO · 2023
To support the Colorado Community College System's deeper participation in the REACH Collaborative.
- $550,000
Research for Action · Philadelphia, PA · 2024
To conduct research and evaluation on Lumina's Great Admissions Redesign Challenge grantees.
- $550,000
Corporation for a Skilled Workforce · Hartland, MI · 2023
To extend and expand the ACE-UP community of practice.
- $550,000
Institute for College Access and Success the · Oakland, CA · 2023
To support research, policy analysis, and nonpartisan advocacy that advances federal policies that support today's students.
- $550,000
University of Texas System the · Austin, TX · 2023
To further advance the University of Texas System's Equitable Student Pathways Project.
- $507,000
American Association of Colleges and Universities · Washington, DC · 2023
To develop campus models connecting curricula to career preparation.
- $505,000
Ditchley Foundation the · 2022
To support The Ditchley Method's social network analysis framework for use in Human Network Design's influencer engagement strategy across various Ditchley and HND convenings.
- $500,000
Campaign for College Opportunity · Los Angeles, CA · 2023
To support the Campaign for College Opportunity's state policy efforts and affirmative action research
- $500,000
Free Press Indiana · Indianapolis, IN · 2023
To support collaboration among news outlets in Indiana through editorial partnerships and coordinated coverage.
- $500,000
Mdrc · New York, NY · 2023
To conduct research on promising programs and policies that community college are implementing for part-time students
- $500,000
North Carolina Community Colleges System Office · Raleigh, NC · 2023
To support the North Carolina Community College System's deeper participation in the REACH Collaborative.
- $500,000
Roadtrip Nation · Costa Mesa, CA · 2023
To support a roadtrip documentary following Black male students exploring options for learning beyond high school.
- $500,000
San Diego State University Research Foundation · San Diego, CA · 2023
To support the National Consortium on College Men of Color (NCCMC).
- $500,000
Texas Community College Education Initiative · Austin, TX · 2023
To support the Texas Success Center's deeper participation in the REACH Collaborative.
- $500,000
Virginia Community College System · Richmond, VA · 2023
To support the Virginia Community College System's deeper participation in the REACH Collaborative.
- $500,000
Capital B News · New York, NY · 2022
To support Capital B News' coverage of Gary, Ind.
- $500,000
Ccf Community Initiatives Fund · Los Angeles, CA · 2022
To support journalism that relates the achievement of quality short-term credentials to fair and just labor market outcomes.
- $500,000
Corporation for a Skilled Workforce · Hartland, MI · 2022
To lead a community of practice focused on equity to the US Department of Labor's Strengthening Community Colleges cohort members.
- $500,000
Office of Community College Research and Leadership Univeristy of Illinois · Champaign, IL · 2022
To support a network of states implementing credential as you go models with equity conscious practices for adults of color.
- $500,000
Research Foundation of Cuny · New York, NY · 2022
To support CUNY's Second Year Success Campaign and CUNY's Lecturer Hiring Initiative
- $495,000
Complete College America · Indianapolis, IN · 2023
To conduct research on colleges closing equity gaps between adult learners of color and their peers.
- $486,000
Rutgers the State University of New Jersey · New Brunswick, NJ · 2023
To research student perspectives on community college noncredit programs
- $484,000
Pen America · New York, NY · 2023
To defend against educational censorship and uplift the first principles of democracy.
- $474,200
Washington University · St Louis, MO · 2023
To research credential quality and equity implications.
- $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
- $447,808
Second Nature · Cambridge, MA · 2023
To drive equitable, holistic climate solutions across institution types and assets.
- $425,000
Suny Impact Foundation · New York, NY · 2024
To support the SUNY system in implementing the ASAP | ACE model with 10 institutions.
- $425,000
Center for American Progress · Washington, DC · 2023
To support research, policy analysis and nonpartisan advocacy in support of efforts to increase equitable distribution of funding and accountability in higher education.
- $401,500
Education Strategy Group · Chevy Chase, MD · 2022
To lead the coordination and technical advisory capacity of the state Credential As You Go network
- $400,000
Public Radio Exchange · Minneapolis, MN · 2024
To support coverage of immigrants seeking education and training after high school.
- $400,000
Candid · New York, NY · 2023
To provide operational support in the programmatic expansion of Candid and Demographics via Candid.
- $400,000
Jobs To Move America · Los Angeles, CA · 2023
To empower workers, communities, and community colleges in Alabama to provide pre-apprenticeship coursework around careers in the green industrial economy.
- $400,000
Postsecondary National Policy Institute · Washington, DC · 2023
To support non-partisan efforts to provide professional development on higher education policy to Congressional staff and policymakers
- $400,000
Young Invincibles · Washington, DC · 2023
To elevate student voices in federal and state higher education policy pertaining to college affordability and basic needs.
- $400,000
Alabama Possible · Birmingham, AL · 2022
To support the development of regional attainment networks throughout Alabama in support of the state's credentialing and workforce goals
- $400,000
Border Network for Human Rights · El Paso, TX · 2022
To support the efforts of the Border Network for Human Rights.
- $400,000
Excelencia in Education · Washington, DC · 2022
To support policy and engagement strategies that accelerate credential attainment for Latino students.
- $400,000
Jobs for the Future · Boston, MA · 2022
To provide technical assistance to the Illinois Community College Board for the design and implementation of employer engagement strategies intended to accelerate outcomes for Black learners.
- $400,000
Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies · Washington, DC · 2022
To produce research and inform a policy agenda for Black America around the future of work and learning.
- $400,000
Regents of the University of California · La Jolla, CA · 2022
To support the Indigenous Futures Institute at the University of California, San Diego.
- $400,000
Regents of the University of California - Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA · 2022
To support the Critical Race Studies Program at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law
- $400,000
Southern Poverty Law Center · Montgomery, AL · 2022
To support the Southern Poverty Law Center.
- $400,000
Trustees of Indiana University the · Bloomington, IN · 2022
To support Phase 2 of the I.U. Network Science Institute's plan to develop network mapping and visualization tools to advance Lumina's Human Network Design strategy.
- $400,000
University of Central Florida Foundation · Orlando, FL · 2022
To increase baccalaureate degrees and shorten time to complete those degrees among the Florida College System transfer population
- $396,750
National Association of Student Personnel Administrators · Washington, DC · 2023
To expand and support NASPA's Advising Success Network.
- $372,500
Campus Compact · Boston, MA · 2023
To build infrastructure, increase student engagement, and complete a landscape analysis of community college civic/democracy supports.
- $370,000
Regents of the University of Michigan · Ann Arbor, MI · 2023
To understand the paths noncredit students take by leveraging administrative data for 5 states.
- $365,000
Multiplier · San Francisco, CA · 2023
To scale Climate Wayfinding leveraging higher education.
- $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
- $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)
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Search funders like this oneSource: 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.

