As a first-generation college student from a single-parent household, Mallorye Crowell faced a myriad of challenges.
“Money wasn’t readily available,” she said. “I had a lot of insecurity barriers, worrying about food, homelessness and finances. It was very difficult.”
Crowell started her college career at Valdosta State then transferred to Georgia Tech in 2016. After six years in the system, she graduated with an electrical engineering degree.
“I’m a very tenacious, determined person,” she said. “But I knew if it was that difficult for me, I could only imagine what it was like for someone without the kind of grit I had.”
Crowell said her own college experience and a “soft spot” for others facing educational hurdles motivated her to launch the Higher Foundation in 2018. The nonprofit gives grants to college students who are struggling financially. Though the mission is the same, the process has evolved in the last five years.
“When I first started, we had to figure out what made the most sense for students’ needs,” she said. “Now as we mark our fifth year, we’ve had a lot of growth with programs and services to make things run smoothly.”
One of the major changes reworked how students learn about the foundation.
“In the beginning, because I was so fresh out of college, we went directly through student organizations, and we had great response,” said Crowell. “For a few years, we did well with word-of-mouth and student government associations. But now we work from the top down.”
Crowell now reaches students through financial aid and student affairs offices. This year, she began specifically targeting University System of Georgia schools and a few independent institutions.
“We’re now working with about 30-plus schools and have helped more 1,000 students,” she said.
Higher Foundation awards are merit-based: Applicants must submit their stories, along with evidence of a minimum 2.5 grade point average, leadership and community involvement. Awards are made with a lottery.
“We do a random selection that takes away all bias,” said Crowell. “And the grants are available to any student. That’s unique to the Higher Foundation because, when I was in need, it seemed every source of help had so many restrictions.”
The foundation awards $500 and $1,000 in grants and scholarships to three students each semester. And while many awards are restricted toward tuition and fees, Crowell said the foundation’s grants offer more flexibility.
“We’re passionate that our grants are for cost of living and cost of attendance,” she said. “It’s the cost of living that cripples most students who are paying for food, gas, laptops, textbooks and housing.”
Crowell has also restructured her involvement with the foundation. Initially, she focused on the nonprofit in her spare time while climbing the corporate ladder as an engineer with Panasonic. In August, she made it her full-time job. She’s also established sustainable sources of funding.
“It was very hard to start when people don’t want to give money to things that aren’t tried and true,” she said. “In the beginning, the funding was me and my network. I used my own income to build Higher Foundation until other people, corporate partnerships and grants started to come. Over the last five years, we’ve built a credible reputation with the colleges we work with. It took five years to get to this point, but we finally figured out the best approach.”
Applications for fall 2024 grants will open in February. For details, visit higherfoundation.org.
SEND US YOUR STORIES. Each week we look at programs, projects and successful endeavors at area schools, from pre-K to grad school. To suggest a story, contact H.M. Cauley at hm_cauley@yahoo.com or 770-744-3042.
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