Sallie Mae Contributes $250,000 to Advance Access and Equity in Higher Education

Grants to Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and Point Foundation Part of Multi-Year Commitment to Promote Diversity and Advance Social Justice

NEWARK, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Sallie Mae Fund, the charitable arm of Sallie Mae®, today announced grants of $125,000 each to Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) and Point Foundation. The grants are part of a multi-year, $4.5 million commitment by The Sallie Mae Fund announced last year to increase higher education access and completion among minority students and underserved communities.

In total, The Sallie Mae Fund has contributed $500,000 to HACU and Point Foundation over the last two years. The grants support educational programs that advance social justice, diversity, inclusion, and equality. Specifically, they’ve helped provide internship opportunities, mentoring programs, scholarships, and financial aid to students.

“Since our founding in 2001, we’ve been the nation’s largest scholarship granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) students,” said Jorge Valencia, Executive Director and CEO, Point Foundation. “Our success has been made possible by organizations like The Sallie Mae Fund, that consistently provide us with the necessary resources to support and empower our hundreds of scholarship recipients.”

“Throughout our 35-year history, we’ve been fortunate to create partnerships with individuals and organizations who champion our goal of advancing Hispanic student success,” said Antonio R. Flores, HACU President and CEO. “We look forward to our continued partnership with The Sallie Mae Fund and helping more Hispanic students excel in college, their career, and in service to their communities across the nation, and abroad.”

This year, The Sallie Mae Fund was recognized with HACU’s Extraordinary Philanthropic Partner Award for its steadfast commitment to address critical issues that affect college access and completion.

“We’ve seen first-hand the value of a higher education and how a college degree can have a lasting, positive generational impact,” said Jonathan Witter, CEO, Sallie Mae. “Too often, however, those from underserved and marginalized communities are not afforded these opportunities. Our goal — through grants, scholarships, and free confidence-inspiring tools and resources — is to continue to help level the playing field to ensure that more students, of all backgrounds, are able to not only access, but also complete college.”

In addition to grants to HACU and Point Foundation, The Sallie Mae Fund provided a $50,000 grant to Folds of Honor to support college scholarships for children and spouses of disabled and fallen military service members. Since 2014, The Sallie Mae Fund has contributed more than $375,000 to Folds of Honor.

For more information, visit SallieMae.com.

Sallie Mae (Nasdaq: SLM) believes education and life-long learning, in all forms, help people achieve great things. As the leader in private student lending, we provide financing and know-how to support access to college and offer products and resources to help customers make new goals and experiences, beyond college, happen. Learn more at SallieMae.com. Commonly known as Sallie Mae, SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.

Category: Community and Philanthropy