November 17, 2021
The Crimsonbridge Foundation recently awarded The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice $100,000 to support the creation of a new tool to help address students’ basic needs. The new tech, a data dashboard, will provide colleges participating in the #RealCollege™ survey with actionable information to help students in higher education meet their basic needs.
“Too many students are leaving higher education and not earning a degree for reasons that can be addressed. We’ve been working with innovative partners who share a belief that supporting the basic needs of first-generation college students is a direct way to help students stay in school, earn a degree, and succeed. The Hope Center’s data dashboard has the potential to transform and improve the way that institutions meet students’ unmet basic needs and this could lead to more positive outcomes for millions of students,” said Danielle M. Reyes, President and CEO of the Crimsonbridge Foundation.
The dashboard will quickly deliver #RealCollege™ survey data to colleges so they can build effective basic needs ecosystems. A fast dissemination of information on students’ basic needs insecurity allows colleges to take action to support students’ basic needs in accord with their financial schedule.
“The evidence is clear: colleges and universities find our #RealCollege survey data helpful for improving practices to support students. We’re excited to be able to increase that impact by helping them learn more quickly from the data,” said Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab, the founder and president of The Hope Center.
In the #RealCollege™ 2021 survey, The Hope Center found that nearly three in five students experienced basic needs insecurity during the pandemic. Studies show that a lack of good, actionable information prevents colleges from getting students access to basic needs supports like SNAP or on-campus food pantries. The #RealCollege™ data will give college faculty, administrators, and staff a vital tool to help students meet their basic needs. When students get their basic needs met, they pass more classes and complete more credentials. The grant from the Crimsonbridge Foundation makes getting those needs met easier.