Grant helps foster, homeless youth access higher education

Earn to Learn, a matched savings scholarship program, is launching a pilot program that will be helping youth previously in foster care and who experienced homelessness pursue higher education. After providing scholarships to youth in the low-moderate income population, Earn to Learn took a look at those in that broader population that were aging out of the foster system or experiencing homelessness.

Thanks to a $325,000 grant from the Garcia Family Foundation, an estimated 200 students will receive scholarships and support to attend Arizona colleges. Through the match savings program, the students that receive the scholarship will save a certain amount of that money and it is matched 8-1. The grant provides the students the necessary amount to get them into the program and move toward their post-secondary education.

Along with the money, students will be given “critical financial empowerment training” as well as other training programs like college readiness and workforce/business training to help them better prepare for life after their post-secondary education.

The program will begin this August for the fall 2023 cohort.