Grant To Help Central MN United Way Educate About Financial Aid

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- United Way of Central Minnesota (UWCM) has received a grant to help people apply for financial aid for college. UWCM was awarded a $60,000 grant from the Educational Credit Management Corporation to provide support to people for filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2024-2025 school year.

United Way's Vice President of Education Amy Trombley says that FAFSA was recently updated and because of various problems 20% fewer people in Minnesota are filling it out. She says the grant will help them educate people on how to fill out the form to get financial assistance:

"So what this grant has enabled us to do is as a community tackle this problem. If people aren't filling out the FAFSA, how can we help them fill out the FAFSA so they can realize that higher education is within their future even yet this year."

Trombley says filling out the form is currently a huge barrier for the St. Cloud Community.

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The grant will help UWCM set up training for district staff and community partners, provide community-based support sessions, and conduct an outreach and one-on-one support program. See below for the list of FAFSA 101 and Support Sessions:

July 11 - United Way of Central Minnesota, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

July 18 - Central Minnesota Community Empowerment Center, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

July 23 - Virtual - Zoom, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

July 30 - Sartell Community Center, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

August 8 - Boys and Girls Club of Central Minnesota, Southside Club, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

August 13 - Boys and Girls Club of Central Minnesota, Southside Club, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

August 20 - Sauk Rapids-Rice High School Community Room, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

August 22 - Too Much Talent, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

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