Rep. Fattah Announces $765,663 in College Readiness "Upward Bound" Grants for Penn, Community College of Philadelphia

WASHINGTON, May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA), the education innovator whose college readiness programs have prepared millions of young people for the rigors and cost of higher education, today announced grants to two Philadelphia institutions totaling $765,663 under the Upward Bound program of the U.S. Department of Education.

The University of Pennsylvania will receive $472,500 and the Community College of Philadelphia gets $293,163 to increase access to higher education for those from disadvantaged backgrounds, Fattah said. Upward Bound is designed to advance the skills and motivation needed for participants to complete secondary education and to succeed at the college level.

"Upward Bound creates a college-going culture and imperative among young people who otherwise may not have higher education on their radar screens," Fattah said. "This is a critical program in the Department of Education that levels the playing field for these under-served individuals so they can access higher education for themselves and for our nation's future." 

Both grants are for one year, but Fattah said funding is likely to be extended to cover a five-year span. The program targets low income individuals, first generation college students and those with disabilities.

Fattah is the architect of GEAR UP – Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs -- which has prepared 12 million low income and underserved young people beginning in sixth grade to prepare for, access and succeed in higher education. The program, which Fattah guided into law in 1998, has directed almost $4 billion in federal resources to 49 states as well as U.S. territories.

Fattah has attacked the high cost of college as chief sponsor for the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC), the $14 billion stimulus program that has provided up to $2,500 in tax credits for higher education expenses for over four million students and their families.

SOURCE Office of Congressman Chaka Fattah

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED