Glow Foundation background and information
Started and ran Glow for the first two years, then transitioned to hyper-active Board Member.
In a decade (2006–2015), GLOW was able to serve over 300,000 students with financial education and aid. I am tremendously proud of all the hard work 100’s of people put into GLOW and am grateful for the 1,000’s of people who contributed to GLOW’s success.
GLOW was acquired by BUILD (www.build.org) to continue the mission of financial literacy and advocacy for the future of America.
The Glow Foundation combined financial planning with monetary grants to ensure that deserving students attend college. Students are enrolled in financial education classes, helping students plan for college attendance. Based upon academic achievement, extra-curricular activities, performance in the financial education classes and financial need, students are awarded scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000.
Update letter from 2011
Letter from the Executive Director Dear GLOW Community,
As the year wraps up, I want to express GLOW’s appreciation of your support. GLOW has made great strides this year. We have quadrupled the number of students served, marshaled resources like IDA accounts and scholarships, engaged multiple sectors, and overall built the capacity of the college access and success field.
GLOW’s accomplishments are yours; none of this would be possible without your time and commitment. Thank you and have a great holiday season!
Sincerely,
Peter Kim Affiliate Spotlight: Foundation for College Education
In 2009, Foundation for a College Education (FCE), an education-focused nonprofit based in East Palo Alto CA, became a GLOW affiliate partner on the recommendation of one of its students after he had attended GLOW’s financial literacy workshops at a neighboring high school. Joyce Latu, FCE’s Assistant Director of Programs, elaborated, “We saw that GLOW provided extra support for us with a comprehensive financial literacy program. We were and are understaffed, and GLOW offered a full program that was really accessible. ”
Only 11% of East Palo Alto residents hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. FCE works to increase the number of students of color from the surrounding community who graduate from a four-year college or university. Today 100% of FCE’s graduates have enrolled in a college or university and 85% of its graduates have either graduated from college or are on the path to graduation.
FCE and GLOW’s partnership has allowed for more students to learn financial literacy, access student resources for college, and be on the path to graduation. Not only did students benefit, but both FCE and other GLOW affiliates benefit from this shared mission of college access and success programming. Latu shared, “Each student class that went through GLOW’s program had a deeper understanding of college financing, loans, and scholarships. Before questions were coming from student’s parents and now they are coming from the students.” Latu added that GLOW’s value extended beyond the financial literacy workshops. She said, “GLOW brings in individuals from different backgrounds and communities (e.g. lawyers, corporate employees, and PhD students) through its corporate partnerships and volunteer mentor program. They expose the students to career paths and teach them to give back to their community. ”
To become an affiliate partner, email alana@glowfoundation.org
Special Thanks to Silicon Valley Bank
Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), a respected financial service provider, is one of GLOW’s Platinum Corporate Partners. Recognized recently by the San Francisco Business Times for their philanthropic efforts, SVB’s commitment to GLOW comes as no surprise. Known for their dedication to the entrepreneurial development in specialized markets like technology, life science, clean tech and premium wine markets, SVB also prides itself on remaining on the forefronts of community improvement. SVB supports nonprofits and charitable organizations through company-wide and direct employee donations, employee volunteerism, and grants provided by the Silicon Valley Bank Foundation. For FY2012, SVB ‘adopted’ GLOW’s affiliate, FCE, to help underwrite GLOW’s program costs and provide employee mentors to students. GLOW recruited, trained and deployed SVB mentors into FCE, while SVB provided funding to underwrite program costs that allows FCE to receive GLOW’s services for free. SVB’s partnership with GLOW shows how linking and pooling resources from multiple sectors can be used to empower students. GLOW thanks SVB for their investment in FCE students!
To learn more about SVB, click here.
To become a corporate partner, email aaliya@glowfoundation.org
A Dedicated Volunteer: Meggie Muyot
Meggie Muyot, a Senior Associate at SVB, heard about GLOW’s financial literacy program through her company’s partnership with GLOW and immediately wanted to get engaged. She had just ended the college admission process with her younger brother and thought her knowledge of that experience could help prospective students at FCE.
Coming into the classroom, Meggie had expectations for her experience, given that financial literacy has a reputation of being quite dry. Once the class began, she was surprised at how “interactive and willing to learn” the students were. She shared, “During the class, I worked closely with a senior named, Delani. She was great to work with and very friendly. I was impressed on how she had done her research about college; she was very financially practical and discussed with me about how she wanted to live off campus to save for other expenses.” Overall, she found her experience rewarding and ended our conversation saying, “Mentors help GLOW by providing support and the experience that someone, like them, went through the college admission process and graduated.”
To become a mentor, click here.
Where is GLOW Alumna, Kimberlee Weber, Now? Kimberlee Weber is a 2006 GLOW Scholar.
Kimberlee Weber was introduced to GLOW as a high school senior through a program called BUILD, an afterschool program that uses entrepreneurship to excite and propel disadvantaged students from high school to college graduation.
“My mentor Adam (referring to Adam Marchick a co-founder of GLOW) handed me a GLOW scholarship application and encouraged me to apply,” said Kimberlee. At the time, GLOW had just been formed as a scholarship provider for students with unmet need. Kimberlee went on to receive the scholarship and discussed its impact throughout college, “It really gave me the freedom to decide which school I could attend, because it would cover that financial gap. I was considering a public school as an alternative, but the scholarship let me choose the school I wanted to go to, which was USF. Even when I was at school, I could focus on my grades, because I was not stressed out about finances. ”
Kimberlee added that GLOW not only gave her financial support but also an invaluable mentor whom she still keeps in touch with today, Adam Marchick. “Adam is a wonderful guy who always gave me advice when I was in a tough situation. He helped me pick my major, whether or not to study abroad, and gave me
feedback about classes. He still helps me, particularly with job opportunities. ”
Kimberlee graduated from USF this past fall and is exploring her graduate study options.
To donate to help students like Kimberlee, click here.
This Holiday Season…
If you have ever wanted to help under-resourced students get into college, here’s your opportunity! GLOW is seeking passionate individuals to help navigate students through the world of college financing and to teach them basic financial literacy skills.
This New Year, make a resolution to help GLOW reach thousands of students through your time and donation.
—
2012 Impact Report
