March 25, 2021 Dear Members of Congress: On behalf of nearly 1,200 organizations, including nearly 900 colleges and universities, we urge you to bring an affordable, high-quality college education within reach for all students by doubling the maximum Pell Grant. This long overdue investment will drive economic recovery, help address racial and economic inequities in college completion rates, and increase overall educational attainment. The Pell Grant program is the nation’s foundational investment in higher education. Pell Grants help nearly seven million low- and moderate-income students attend and complete college annually. Students from all 50 states and all corners of the country — from rural areas to cities to everywhere in between — rely on the Pell Grant program to build their future. Pell Grants are especially critical for students of color, with nearly 60 percent of Black students, half of American Indian or Alaska Native students, and nearly half of Latinx students receiving a Pell Grant each year. However, the share of college costs covered by the grant is at an all-time low. At its peak, the maximum grant covered three-quarters of the cost of attending a four-year public college. Now, it covers less than one-third of that cost. Unsurprisingly, Pell Grant recipients continue to bear disproportionate student debt burdens. Pell Grant recipients today are more than twice as likely as other students to have student loans, and grant recipients who borrow graduate with over $4,500 more debt than their higher-income peers. Students from low- and moderate-income families are in critical need of additional grant aid to pay for college. Doubling the maximum Pell Grant — and permanently indexing the grant to inflation to ensure its value doesn’t diminish over time — will boost college enrollment, improve graduation rates, and honor the history and value of these grants as the keystone federal investment in college affordability. Sincerely, Organizational Signers 10,000 Degrees Academic Success Program Dallas & Houston Access Academies Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges Achieve Atlanta Achieving the Dream ACPA – College Student Educators International ACT Alabama Association of Independent Colleges and Universities Alabama Possible American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education American Association of Colleges of Nursing American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers American Association of Community Colleges American Association of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities American Association of State Colleges and Universities American Association of University Professors American Association of University Women (AAUW) American College Health Association American Council on Education American Dental Education Association American Federation of Teachers American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) American Psychological Association American Society for Engineering Education American Student Assistance APIA Scholars APPA, “Leadership in Educational Facilities” Arkansas Independent Colleges and Universities Asociación de Colegios y Universidades Privadas de Puerto Rico Associated Colleges of the Midwest Associated Students of the University of Oregon Association for Biblical Higher Education Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools Association of American Colleges and Universities Association of American Universities Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities Association of Community College Trustees Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in New Jersey Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Pennsylvania Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Rhode Island Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities Association of Presbyterian Colleges & Universities Association of Public and Land-grant Universities Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions Association of Vermont Independent Colleges Association of Young Americans (AYA) Augustus F. Hawkins Foundation Austin College Attainment Network (ACAN) Autistic Self Advocacy Network Baldwin Promise and College Access Center Better Future Forward Bottom Line Breakthrough Central Texas California EDGE Coalition California Student Aid Commission Capital Area College Access Network – Lansing, MI Center for American Progress Page 2 of 26 Center for First-generation Student Success Center for Law and Social Policy Center for Responsible Lending CEOE Auburn University Chiefs for Change CINC Foundation Coalition of State University Aid Administrators (COSUAA) Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities College Access Plan College Advising Corps College and University Professional Association for Human Resources College Beyond College Bound – St. Louis College Connect Tempe College Crusade of Rhode Island College Forward College Horizons, Inc. College Now Greater Cleveland College Possible College Promise College Success Arizona College Success Foundation College Track CollegeBound Foundation CollegeCommunityCareer CollegeTracks Collegiate Academies Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities in New York Common App Community Bridges, Inc. Community Coalition Community College League of California Conference for Mercy Higher Education Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area Consumer Action Council for Advancement and Support of Education Council for Christian Colleges & Universities Council for Higher Education Accreditation Council for Opportunity in Education Council of Independent Colleges Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia Council on Social Work Education Cowen Institute, Tulane University Cradle to Career Cincinnati DC Prep Academy Degrees of Change Delaware College Scholars Page 3 of 26 Denver Public Schools – South High School Denver Scholarship Foundation Desert Community Foundation Detroit College Access Network Dr. Doretha Pressey Southern Scholars Initiative, Inc. East Bay Community Law Center Education Reform Now Advocacy Education to Employment Partners EDUCAUSE ETS Every Texan Excelencia in Education Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities General Board of Higher Education and Ministry Generation Progress Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce Georgia Budget and Policy Institute Georgia Independent College Association Grand Rapids Promise Zone GRASP (Great Aspirations Scholarship Program) Great Lakes Colleges Association Grind to Grad Hazel Park Promise Zone Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) Higher Education Consultants Association Higher Education Loan Coalition Higher Heights YEP, Inc. Higher Learning Advocates Higher Learning Commission Hildreth Institute Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities Hispanic Federation “I Have A Dream” Foundation Illinois College Access Network Independent California Colleges Advocate Program Independent Colleges & Universities of Florida Independent Colleges and Universities of Missouri Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas Independent Colleges of Indiana Independent Colleges of Washington Independent Higher Education of Colorado Indigenous Education, Inc. InnerCity Struggle Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) Inversant Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities Japanese American Citizens League Jobs for the Future (JFF) Page 4 of 26 John Burton Advocates for Youth Kalamazoo Promise Kansas Independent College Association KIPP Lapeer County College Access Network Latino U College Access Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America LeadMN – College Students Connecting for Change League for Innovation in the Community College Learn to Earn Dayton Let’s Get Ready Los Angeles United Methodist Urban Foundation Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and Universities Mahoning Valley College Access Program Maine Independent Colleges Association Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition Maryland Independent College and University Association Mason College Access Network Michigan College Access Network Michigan Independent Colleges & Universities Michigan League for Public Policy Michigan Promise Zones Association Mid-America Regional Council Middle States Commission on Higher Education Minnesota Private College Council Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Montana Campus Compact Montana College Attainment Network Muskegon Opportunity: Local College Access Network NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE) National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) National Association for College Admission Counseling National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education National Association of College and University Business Officers National Association of Colleges and Employers National Association of Graduate-Professional Students National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators National Association of System Heads National College Attainment Network National Consumer