1 Washington Scholarship Coalition Smarter Scholarship Matches

2 Washington Scholarship Coalition >College Planning Network >College Spark Washington >College Success Foundation >Greater Tacoma Community Foundation >Independent Colleges of Washington >Northwest Dollars for Scholars >Northwest Education Loan Association (NELA) >The Seattle Foundation >Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board Who we are

3 Washington Scholarship Coalition >Increase access to scholarships for Washington students, with emphasis on low-income and underserved students >Increase awareness of financial aid & scholarship opportunities >Increase private scholarship funding by providing donors with information on effective, efficient ways to contribute >Improve efficiencies in private scholarship application process >Improve availability of data on private scholarships >Create a trusted resource What we collaborated to accomplish Washington Scholarship Coalition

4 >Free resource for students attending school in Washington or Washington residents attending school in another state >Helps students quickly identify scholarships for which they are eligible >Helps students prioritize how to spend their time applying for scholarships by ranking each scholarship match and showing the criteria that is met >Students’ private information is kept confidential >Serves all ages of students, from High School, through college and into graduate school >No spam or ads What scholarship seekers need to know TheWashBoard.org 101

5 What scholarship providers need to know Washington Scholarship Coalition >Free resource, with data held securely behind state firewall >Web-based, which reduces the need for paper and forms >Flexible administrative options: go completely paperless and use all of theWashBoard.org’s resources (from advertising to selection); continue to use your current paper application; or choose somewhere in the middle. >Design helps providers more quickly screen and narrow their list of qualified applicants >Donors will have access to statewide scholarship trend data which will lead to more informed scholarship philanthropy. >You continue to manage your scholarships, how you choose. TheWashBoard.org 101

6 What counselors need to know Washington Scholarship Coalition >Help more students in your community find scholarship resources >Keep scholarship seekers informed of other state and federal financial aid opportunities >Leverage your resources by helping students access more money beyond your scholarship >A web-based tool that reduces the need for paper applications and forms >Help providers more quickly screen and narrow their list of qualified applicants TheWashBoard.org 101

7 Washington Scholarship Coalition >TheWashBoard.org went live to scholarship seekers on January 4 th >Within a week, nearly 2,400 seekers registered; currently at over 11,00 >Over 500 scholarships listed >Up to 4,000 possible awards and over $8 million in scholarship funds >More scholarships are being continually added New Year’s launch! Washington Scholarship Coalition

8 Contact Mary Beth Lambert Marketing & Communications Consultant for the Washington Scholarship Coalition Follow theWashBoard.org on Facebook & Twitter! Washington Scholarship Coalition Want to Know More?