Edquity in the news
How This College Gave Emergency Aid to Dual Enrolled Students
May 11, 2022
Through a first-of-its-kind program, Compton College, a community college in California, worked to fill a basic needs support gap for its dual enrolled students.
ServeMinnesota Launches Emergency Assistance Fund for AmeriCorps Members
November 19, 2021
Minnesota’s state commission on national and community service is partnering with social impact technology company, Edquity, to help AmeriCorps members through unexpected financial challenges.
Social Impact Startup Tackles National Rental Assistance Backlog
November 18, 2021
Rental Assistance by Edquity, developed with the support of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, will help cities, counties, and states quickly and equitably distribute millions in federal aid
Colleges Distributed $50 Million in Emergency Aid Through Edquity Last Quarter
August 9, 2021
According to recent polls, 81% of college students are facing financial struggles due COVID-19, so Edquity, a first of its kind college financial planning app for high school and college students, has put together a guide dedicated to helping college students in need through these uncertain times...
College Students Got Billions in Emergency Pandemic Aid. What Happens When the Funding Dries Up?
June 1, 2021
For a student at Iowa State University, an emergency grant meant that he didn’t have to choose between buying food and buying medication for his diabetes after losing his job last year...
The Edge: 8 Lessons on Innovating for Equity
May 19, 2021
Mistakes can be useful — and other takeaways from innovators promoting equity in higher ed.
Washington pumped $35 billion into emergency grants for college students. Here’s how it’s going.
April 25, 2021
It had been almost five months since Virginia Commonwealth University sophomore Brittany Ofori lost her part-time job at a substance abuse center when she received an unexpected offer of help....
App’s Private Aid Algorithm Promises Fast Cash
April 12, 2021
Start-up uses an algorithm developed by Sara Goldrick-Rab to approve student emergency aid applications quickly. Experts say the outsourcing can work, if known pitfalls can be avoided...
It’s time to stop using the FAFSA to determine who gets emergency aid
March 23, 2021
Consider a recent experiment at Compton College, a community college where most students have exceptional need. Last spring Compton engaged Edquity, an emergency aid technology platform, to deliver philanthropic dollars. Rather than relying on the FAFSA, Edquity uses a short, evidence-driven application with validated questions to assess need...
Impact Investing During COVID-19: A Flexible Funding Approach
March 18, 2021
Consider a recent experiment at Compton College, a community college where most students have exceptional need. Last spring Compton engaged Edquity, an emergency aid technology platform, to deliver philanthropic dollars. Rather than relying on the FAFSA, Edquity uses a short, evidence-driven application with validated questions to assess need...
Awarding Emergency Aid Can Make Students ‘Perform Poverty.’ Is There a Better Way?
March 4, 2021
Goldie Blumenstyk, senior writer, talks with David Helene, founder of the company Edquity, about helping colleges deliver emergency aid to students in need.
Education, Solar Energy, and Student Aid Startups Win Annual Brooklyn Innovation Award
February 2, 2021
Three Brooklyn startups focused on increasing access to green energy, remote education and student financial aid have “made it.” Or, at the very least, they’re on their way. The digital platform Edquity, which helps distribute emergency financial aid and resources to college students in need, won the “Tech for Good – COVID-19 response” award...
Advancing Financial Security Through Emergency Cash Grants For College Students
October 28, 2020
Financial insecurity is the number one obstacle to postsecdonary degree completion in the United States, and disproportionately impacts BIPOC students, veteran students, former foster youth, and LGBTQIA+ students...
South Plains College among area institutions awarded Brown Foundation grants
October 9, 2020
As colleges and universities across the country work to contain COVID-19 outbreaks and protect students, faculty, and staff members, the uncertainty of how the term will play out on local campuses has left the degree-earning potential of thousands of college students hanging by a thread...
Brown Foundation Makes Historic Investment in West Texas College Students
October 6, 2020
As colleges and universities across the country work to contain COVID-19 outbreaks and protect students, faculty, and staff members, the uncertainty of how the term will play out on local campuses has left the degree-earning potential of thousands of college students hanging by a thread. Enter the Prentice Farrar & Alline Ford Brown Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee...
El Paso Community College among Texas schools selected for ‘Believe in Students’ grant
October 6, 2020
As colleges and universities across the country work to contain COVID-19 outbreaks and protect students, faculty, and staff members, the uncertainty of how the term will play out on local campuses has left the degree-earning potential of thousands of college students hanging by a thread...
Get-Out-The-Vote Campaign to Boost Student Turnout and Civic Engagement
October 6, 2020
Course Hero today announced an ambitious new get-out-the-vote campaign, in collaboration with First Lady Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote initiative, a non-profit, nonpartisan organization on a mission to increase participation in every election and close the race and age voting gap...
Brown Foundation Invests in OC
October 6, 2020
As colleges and universities across the country work to contain COVID-19 outbreaks and protect students, faculty, and staff members, the uncertainty of how the term will play out on local campuses has left the degree-earning potential of thousands of college students hanging by a thread.
Course Hero Launches Get-Out-the-Vote Campaign to Boost Student Turnout and Civic Engagement
October 6, 2020
Course Hero today announced an ambitious new get-out-the-vote campaign, in collaboration with First Lady Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote initiative, a non-profit, nonpartisan organization on a mission to increase participation in every election and close the race and age voting gap...
Fighting Food Insecurity
September 15, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated food insecurity in the United States. General economic hardship, school closures and overwhelmed food banks have left the most vulnerable increasingly at risk. The crisis has revealed the dysfunction of our food system and how structural inequalities contribute to the growing number of food insecure and hungry across the nation...
CWU program addresses food, housing insecurity
September 12, 2020
Sixty percent of college students had experienced food insecurity within the past 30 days or housing insecurity within the last year, based on findings of a 2019 report by the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice at Temple University...
Programs For Student Parents Need Greater Focus On ROI (Cost + Career Connections)
September 10, 2020
Recent years have seen a growing awareness of the unique goals, needs and assets of student parents, who account for a quarter of all undergraduates and a substantial portion of those in alternative education programs. Better meeting their educational needs not only is critical for their own success and economic advancement, but plays a crucial role in supporting entire families and powering generational economic mobility...
WGU Indiana Gives $90K in Emergency Aid
July 13, 2020
WGU Indiana has announced plans to distribute more than $90,000 in emergency aid to nearly 200 high-need students. The funding is in addition to nearly $127,000 awarded by Western Governors University to its central region, which includes Indiana, for non-tuition COVID-19 related assistance...
Prudential Joins Effort To Fund Fintechs Fighting Inequality
July 2, 2020
Prudential Financial is dedicating $10 million to fintech oriented towards solving intransigent financial and social inequality in the U.S. Prudential’s funding is part of a $60 million total dedicated to the Financial Solutions Lab, an initiative launched in June by the Financial Health Network and JPMorgan Chase to support fintechs developing solutions for underserved communities...
College Students Need Help: Here’s What You Can Do Now
June 17, 2020
As the COVID-19 pandemic began to upend the world of work, Silicon Valley businesses like ours quickly provided support for employees adjusting to the new realities of remote work. While daily Zoom calls became the norm, we were fortunate to have jobs that were both safe from termination and well-suited for a transition to telework. But as we adjusted, a very different narrative played out on college campuses around the country...
Course Hero Expands Commitment to Emergency Aid with $500,000 Donation to Michelle Obama's Dear Class of 2020 Fund
June 5, 2020
Course Hero today announced a $500,000 donation for student aid to the Dear Class of 2020 Fund, immediately doubling its commitment to provide targeted financial assistance to students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic...
Michelson Ventures: Edquity Helps College Students Find Emergency Assistance
May 19, 2020
This spring, as the country found itself in the grips of a once-in-a-century pandemic, Congress took swift and decisive action to soften the economic impact of nationwide lockdowns. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act not only provided families with much-needed stimulus payments, it also appropriated over $6B in emergency grants for college students who suddenly found themselves at the center of a health and financial crisis...
Companies, Nonprofits Launch Emergency Student Aid Effort
April 30, 2020
A new initiative from an alliance of educational technology companies and education-focused nonprofits will target emergency aid to college students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, building on $1.1 million in initial funding...
Course Hero Teams Up With Believe in Students, Edquity to Close Emergency Aid Gaps for All College Students
April 30, 2020
Course Hero, in partnership with Edquity and nonprofit Believe in Students, today announced the launch of an ambitious emergency aid initiative, which will direct targeted financial assistance to college students experiencing financial hardship in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, including non-Title IV students left out of the CARES Act...
Nonprofits Team Up To Help Students Left Jobless, Homeless By COVID-19
April 14, 2020
In early March, colleges and universities across the United States shut down their campuses and transitioned to online classes. Although they were acting to slow down the spread of COVID-19, the closures have negatively impacted hundreds of thousands of students, leaving many jobless, homeless or struggling to access the internet...
As Higher Education Leaders Wait for Slow-to-Arrive Federal Relief, Students Are Taking Charge of Providing Key Services to Their Classmates & Communities
April 8, 2020
Last month’s historic $2.2 trillion stimulus package earmarks $14 billion to higher education, but when that money will actually reach colleges and schools is anyone’s guess. As they wait for those dollars to land, institutions are now tapping into their coffers and donation networks to supply students with crucial financial assistance...
How the Coronavirus Is Prompting Higher-Ed Grantmakers to Change Course
April 1, 2020
Grantmakers to higher education suddenly face a new reality. In less than a month, just about all of face-to-face higher education moved to remote operations. The American economy shifted from near full employment to a spiral that could end up exceeding the joblessness levels of the Great Depression. And of course our country — and most of the world — is still struggling to meet the growing medical needs of far too many.
How Social Entrepreneurs Are Stepping Up To Meet The Crisis: A Roundup
March 25, 2020
Four-year-old Edquity’s app is all about streamlining and speeding up access to emergency support for students, so they can get help in 48 hours. Even in normal times, about 50% of students experience food and housing challenges, according to founder David Helene. With more being displaced from residences or evicted, “Right now, this population needs emergency aid more than ever,” he says...
The Networked University in a Pandemic — and Beyond
March 24, 2020
As college campuses started to shut down in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic in recent weeks, we witnessed institutions nationwide taking a series of actions unprecedented in American higher education: the shift to remote learning, canceling the NCAA March Madness basketball tournaments and postponing commencements...
Coronavirus Crisis Underscores the Traits of a Resilient College
March 18, 2020
Last week I wrote that the coronavirus crisis is a “black swan” moment for higher education, which would show us how crucial the skills of agility, flexibility, and resilience are for 21st-century colleges, not just their students. Since then, it’s become clearer that a skill I forgot to mention — dealing with ambiguity — also belongs on that list...
Edquity Releases Guide to Student Support Resources During COVID-19
January 28, 2020
According to recent polls, 81% of college students are facing financial struggles due COVID-19, so Edquity, a first of its kind college financial planning app for high school and college students, has put together a guide dedicated to helping college students in need through these uncertain times...
WGU’s Innovation Lab Partners with Leader in Emergency Student Financial Aid
January 28, 2020
WGU Labs, a subsidiary of the nonprofit online Western Governors University (WGU), has entered into a research and services agreement with Edquity to measure the effects of its emergency financial aid platform, which will be offered to a portion of WGU’s students beginning spring of 2020...
Edquity Raises $2.4M to Help Schools Deliver Emergency Funds to Students in Need
January 7, 2020
That’s what spurred David Helene to start Edquity in 2016, and its mission to make emergency fund disbursements more efficient has attracted some funding of its own. The Brooklyn, N.Y.-based startup has raised $2.4 million in a seed round led by ECMC Foundation....