Who and Where We Fund | Print full guidelines
Lumina Foundation makes grants within the United States and its territories. In addition, as an Indiana-based foundation, we set aside 10 percent of our grant funds each year for work that is specific to our hometown (Indianapolis) and home state. For Indiana-specific requests, the median grant is typically $100,000. In general, these requests should follow the same guidelines as requests from out of state.
The Foundation may occasionally initiate a grant to an entity outside the United States in order to inform its work to expand access and success in postsecondary education in the United States.
Lumina Foundation makes grants to organizations that are classified as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and as public charities under section 509(a)(1), (2) or (3) of the Code or to public organizations that are designated under section 170(c) of the Code. Please note that Lumina Foundation for Education does not make grants to (a.) supporting organizations controlled by disqualified persons to Lumina or (b.) Type III supporting organizations that are not functionally integrated Type III supporting organizations (as such terms are defined in the Internal Revenue Code).
Grants to individual institutions
Lumina makes a limited number of institution-specific grants to help stimulate change in the field. For a single college to be eligible for a grant, we expect the institution to demonstrate how the grant will not only contribute to a process of institutional transformation centered on a student success agenda on its own campus, but also at other campuses. First, we want to know how the institution is using data-based decision making to increase and measure the percentage of students who:
- Successfully complete the courses they take.
- Advance from developmental education courses to credit-bearing courses.
- Enroll in and successfully complete gatekeeper courses.
- Enroll from one semester to the next.
- Earn degrees and/or certificates.
Second, institutions also must meet the following criteria:
- Demonstrate how the proposed work represents an institution-wide commitment to a student success agenda.
- Identify the specific beneficiaries of the work and how it will reach them, as evidenced by a strong strategy of collaboration and communication.
- State how the work represents a significant contribution to building knowledge, policy or practice, as evidenced by a commitment to rigorous research or evaluation so as to prove results.
What we don't fund
In compliance with the Internal Revenue Code, Lumina Foundation grants cannot support partisan political or lobbying efforts. In addition, we generally do not award grants for the following:
- Individual scholarships or institutional scholarship programs.
- Capital campaigns and endowments.
- Requests exclusively for equipment, such as technology hardware and software.
- Corporate sponsorships and fundraising events outside Indianapolis, Indiana.
- Religious activities. (We may consider grant requests from religious organizations if the proposed activities promote higher education access and success and serve diverse recipients, without regard to their religious backgrounds.)
- K-12 education reform.
- Meetings and conferences, unless they relate to a strategic initiative of the Foundation.
Grants
- Who and Where We Fund
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- The Review Process
- Initiatives and Special Programs
- Grant Database
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