Congressman Donald M. Payne Jr. recently announced the awarding of nearly $3.7 million in Fiscal Year 2017 grant funding to New Jersey institutions of higher education through the U.S. Department of Education’s Upward Bound Program for pre-college education programs for disadvantaged students.
“For many low-income students, the difference between going to college and not going, or even between going and not finishing high school, is Upward Bound,” said Payne.
The Upward Bound program was created in 1965 to provide low-income high school students and potential first-generation college students with academic assistance, counseling services and cultural enrichment activities, with the aim of improving college readiness and success.
Payne added, “The students who participate in these programs receive the academic instruction and mentoring often missing in their secondary education, and as a result, they gain the confidence and skills to further their education and achieve academic success.”
Grants were provided to 10 New Jersey colleges, ranging from $250,000 to $584,000.