New Era’s Student Assistance Fund

Due to the number of applications we have received, we have made the decision to close the application temporarily, as of Feb. 9. We will continue reviewing the applications we have received so far, and will communicate with all those who have applied as soon as possible. We may reopen the application if more funding is available to support additional applicants. Thank you for understanding.

What is the Student Assistance Fund? 

The Student Assistance Fund assists current and former students who owe institutional debts to an institution of higher education, through individual grants. Anyone who owes past-due debts to an institution of higher education that have resulted in a hold on their student account, withheld transcripts and/or collections by a collection agency are invited to apply. Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC*) are especially encouraged to apply. The intention of these grants is to support folks in their efforts to pay back their institutional debts so that they can get their transcripts released, continue their education, transfer schools, get on top of their payments to collection agencies, and move forward with their lives.

Across Colorado, current and former students, and their families, are experiencing serious financial distress. The college affordability crisis is colliding with the devastating impacts of the pandemic. Now more than ever, students, and particularly students of color, are struggling to secure the financial resources they need to complete their higher education and stay on top of their student debt.

When students owe money to their school, they face serious barriers that can force them to put their education and careers on hold. We have heard from students in our communities who have been unable to sign up for their next semester, unable to access their transcripts, and have faced collections. These barriers disproportionately harm students of color and low-income students, who are most likely to experience distress in accessing and financing higher education due to the generational wealth gap. 

Info for applicants

Grant amounts

Our grants will generally range from $50 – $500, though larger requests may be honored depending on the status of our funds. If your request is higher than we can fulfill, we will partially fulfill your request to the amount possible if your application is accepted.  There is no guarantee that an applicant will receive any amount of funding or that there are enough funds to cover all eligible applicants.

Timeline

The application launches on January 11th and will remain open as long as there are remaining funds; if you are able to access the application, we are still accepting submissions.

If your application is not selected right away, we will keep your application in our system and continue considering your application for future rounds of acceptance. You may withdraw your application at any time by emailing studentassistance@neweracolorado.org, or update your application by sending a new submission through.

Eligibility

In order to qualify, you must currently have past-due debts owed to a postsecondary educational institution, resulting in one or more of the following situations:

  • A hold on your student account
  • Inability to access your student transcripts 
  • Collections by a collection agency

In addition to the eligibility requirements, we will prioritize: 

  • Colorado residents
  • Debts owed to Colorado higher ed institutions
  • Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color
  • Those with time-sensitive or otherwise urgent needs

US citizenship is not a requirement.

There is no guarantee that an applicant will receive any amount of funding or that there are enough funds to cover all eligible applicants.

What does the application ask for?

The application contains a set of questions we are asking to better understand applicants’ needs. While some questions are optional, the more information you can provide, the better for our decision making process. We are also requesting a brief impact statement (2-10 sentences), as well as verification of your debt. Verification may be completed during the application, or you may submit the form without proof of the debt and verify your application later. All personal information will be held confidentially, and identifying information will be deleted from our records at the conclusion of the Fund. Please reach out to studentassistance@neweracolorado.org with any questions!

Questions? Email studentassistance@neweracolorado.org

*BIPOC is a collective term used “to highlight the unique relationship to whiteness that Indigenous and Black (African Americans) people have, which shapes the experiences of and relationship to white supremacy for all people of color within a U.S. context.” [The BIPOC Project].