Lumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis, Indiana, that is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all.  The Foundation envisions a system that is easy to navigate, delivers fair results, and meets the nation’s need for talent through a broad range of credentials.

From 2020–2024 the Lumina Foundation had a plan to ensure 60 percent of adults will have a college degree, certificate, industry certification, or other credential of value by 2025. Strategies included:

• Focusing state and federal policymakers on the need to prepare more individuals, especially people of color, for informed citizenship and success in a global economy.
• Increasing access to well-designed programs and pathways that address racial disparities in student outcomes.
• Supporting institutions that serve today’s student, including community and technical colleges, bachelor’s-granting colleges and universities, minority-serving institutions, and state higher education systems.

The Lumina Foundation now has a 2025–2040 Strategic Plan to reach a goal of 75 percent of adults in the U.S. labor force having college degrees or other equivalent credentials that lead to economic prosperity by:

• Ensuring credential value—emphasizing that education programs teach job-specific skills and critical thinking so they are prepared for life after schooling.
• Expanding access to education—making sure that college is within reach for everyone, especially for communities that have historically had barriers to access.
• Helping students succeed—pushing for better student support systems to ensure that students graduate successfully.
• Redesigning education systems—improving affordability to higher education, updating financial aid programs, and evaluating how colleges operate, all to make sure that education systems meet the needs of students now to secure their lives in the future.

Since 2009, Lumina has published A Stronger Nation: Credentials of Value, a dynamic, online data tool updated frequently with information from the U.S. Census Bureau and other sources. The tool makes it easy to find student attainment data at several levels and among various racial and ethnic groups. College degree attainment is tracked nationally, in metropolitan areas, in each state, and down to the county level. The tool also provides national and state-level data on certificates and industry-recognized certifications.

Resources

Strategic Plan 2025–2040 - Lumina Foundation

A Stronger Nation: Credentials of Value - Lumina Foundation