Washington Scholarship Coalition

A Partnership To Build The Online Scholarship Marketplace



The Problem
Obtaining a college degree represents an important piece of the American dream. However, rising costs are making this an almost impossible dream without an equivalent rise in better financing options for students.

Federal and state financial aid programs have not kept pace with increased tuition and living costs, making way instead for a boom in private student loans with higher interest rates and greater risks. Tragically, an estimated $100 million in scholarship assistance goes untapped each year. Standing between prospective students and the scholarship money is a complex maze of outdated, inefficient and even predatory practices that fail to make a legitimate scholarship match. The problem is exacerbated by a proliferation of websites that make grand promises but return little, if any, valid information to the searcher. Students simply can't find the scholarships they need.

Meanwhile, donors and policymakers lack the information they need to identify and fill funding gaps. The reality is that Washington state currently has no way of collecting and storing scholarship data, no easy way for a Washington student to get information on scholarships offered in the state and, for those invested in accelerating college access, no centralized resource.

The Solution

The Washington Scholarship Coalition aims to build the online Scholarship Marketplace, auser-friendly, student-centered website with efficient search/match tools, a uniform locator and scholarship application process. The Marketplace will act as a clearinghouse with vetted scholarship information to match those looking for support with those looking to provide it, ultimately helping students, donors and policymakers achieve their goals.

How It Will Work

The Scholarship Marketplace will:

  • Match students with valid scholarship opportunities, increasing the odds they will find the financial support they need for higher education
  • Provide donors with information to understand who is looking for help so they can align their giving to the real needs of today's students
  • Empower policymakers with real time data to direct funding to Washington students who need the most financial aid
  • Coordinate with other online tools promoting college readiness and planning

Impact of the Marketplace

Simplifying the scholarship application process and increasing its search-match efficiencies will greatly boost the number of applications and increase access to higher education, particularly for low income students.

In Washington state, this will most importantly help the 62% of higher education students who do not fit the "traditional" profile of the student for whom many existing scholarship programs are designed. There is strong evidence that increasing the match process increases scholarship use:

With the Scholarship Marketplace, more students will achieve their educational goals.

  • Total education giving will increase in Washington state
  • Community and public leaders will better understand the impact of scholarships in increasing college access
  • Students will be less vulnerable to predatory lending, keeping risk and loan defaults low

Estimated Cost: $1.14 million

The Online Scholarship Marketplace will launch "live" in Fall 2009. To date, the Coalition has:

  • Completed the feasibility phase
  • Designed the product, now in development
  • Secured its permanent home at the HECB
  • Committed $750,000 of $1.14 million necessary for product launch, development and enhancement

Development Updates

The project is generally being very positively received because of the tremendous public/ private cooperation and leverage. We are actively advocating to ensure funds remain in the state's budget in an increasingly tough political year. We have submitted requests to the Lumina Foundation and, by invitation, to our regional peers at the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation and Community Foundation for Southwest Washington. In 2009, we will also continue to pursue leads with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Boeing Company, Safeco Insurance Foundation, M.J Murdock Charitable Trust and Inland Northwest Community Foundation.

Washington Scholarship Coalition Partners

  • College Planning Network
  • College Spark Washington
  • The College Success Foundation
  • Independent Colleges of Washington
  • Northwest Education Loan Association (NELA)
  • The Seattle Foundation
  • Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB)

Contact Information

Washington Scholarship Coalition
c/o Northwest Education Loan Association
Danette Knudson
Director, External Relations
(206) 461-5491
danette.knudson@nela.net