Course Hero Expands Commitment to Emergency Aid with $500,000 Donation to Michelle Obama's Dear Class of 2020 Fund

Student aid investment announced at Virtual Commencement Day convened by former First Lady Michelle Obama's Reach Higher initiative

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Course Hero

Jun 05, 2020, 17:52 ET

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., June 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Course Hero today announced a $500,000 donation for student aid to the Dear Class of 2020 Fund, immediately doubling its commitment to provide targeted financial assistance to students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The investment will be announced in conjunction with the Dear Class of 2020, a virtual graduation event that will be broadcast live on YouTube on Sunday, June 7. The event will feature remarks from former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, Bill and Melinda Gates, Malala, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Beyonce Knowles-Carter, Lady Gaga and other internationally-celebrated performing artists.

"This is about celebrating the accomplishments of all students who have overcome adversity, injustice and a system that is still stacked against them in so many ways," said Andrew Grauer, CEO and founder of Course Hero. "Backing emergency aid efforts is emblematic of our mission. At a time when so many of our students are struggling, we are deeply honored to support this nationwide effort to take action for and celebrate the Class of 2020. We are excited to play a small role in promoting unity and healing."

A collaboration led by former First Lady Michelle Obama's Reach Higher initiative and YouTube, Dear Class of 2020 will showcase student stories and feature graduates around the world.

Course Hero will make a $500,000 donation for student aid through the Dear Class of 2020 Fund. The fund, launched by YouTube, Google.org, and Reach Higher, will support grant recipients Beyond12 and Scholarship America. In May 2020, Course Hero launched an emergency aid network in collaboration with national nonprofit Believe in Students, Edquity—a technology platform designed to administer emergency aid—and five national nonprofits selected to ensure that funds support high need students and institutions.

To date, the network has already distributed more than $300,000 in emergency aid funds to students at 38 institutions, through the efforts of partners which include the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Achieving the Dream, Excelencia in Education, the United Negro College Fund and the University Innovation Alliance.

Despite massive federal investments in emergency student aid, millions of students and recent graduates are struggling with food insecurity, housing, and securing job and internship offers as the nation continues to combat the public health and economic challenges stemming from the pandemic. Nearly 1.5 million students were not eligible to receive support, according to recently published CARES Act guidance. Students excluded from access to critical emergency support include Dreamers, justice-impacted students, former foster-care youth, international students, students who have been forced from their homes, or are estranged from their parents.

Founded by college student, Andrew Grauer, in 2006, Course Hero is on a mission to help students graduate confident and prepared. Today, Course Hero's unique, collective action framework enables students to either subscribe, or contribute their own resources to earn a Netflix-like subscription to more than 40 million course materials, tutoring and support resources. More than 40,000 faculty across the U.S. and Canada have joined the Course Hero faculty community to share their resources, collaborate with faculty in other fields, and hone new strategies for instruction.

About Course Hero: Course Hero is an online learning platform where you can access over 30 million course-specific study resources contributed by a community of students and educators. You'll find practice problems, study guides, videos, class notes, and step-by-step explanations for every subject you're studying — from economics to literature, biology to history, accounting to psychology, and everything in between. We help you quickly find what you need so you can learn deeply.

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SOURCE Course Hero