SOS (Support our Students) Fund

SOS (Support our Students) Fund is sponsored by Educate & Elevate Foundation. Emergency grants are provided to an adult learner to offset an immediate barrier to sustained learning at a local program. Both the adult learner and the local program must be members of COABE.

Educate & Elevate Foundation | Helping adult learners achieve success COABE, the leading and largest adult education association globally, recognizes that adult learners and their families often face barriers in life, education, and employment. The local programs that serve the learners often deal with funding issues, and as the frontline support for learners, are integral to their education.

The Educate & Elevate Foundation was created to address these needs in adult education. SOS (Support our Students) Fund Emergency grants are provided to an adult learner to offset an immediate barrier to sustained learning at a local program. Both the adult learner and the local program must be members of COABE.

Legacy Pioneer Scholarship Scholarship grants are awarded to first generation family members of adult learners to attend community college, university, or receive credentials. The post secondary provider must be an accredited program. The adult learner and the family member must be members of COABE.

Applications are open until 7/31/26, and winner accounted on 8/10/26. Supplemental grants are provided to local programs that demonstrate a need to be consistent with providing excellent programming to adult learners. Your local program must participate in the Move Ahead with Adult Ed campaign ($25 enrollment fee).

This also enables your program to apply for the Excellence in Local Programming Award ($2,000 value). Eligible applicants must be currently enrolled in or recently graduated from a local adult education program that is a current local program member on the Move Ahead with Adult Ed campaign.

For the purpose of this fund, an emergency is defined as a financial hardship within the academic school year, such as a medical issue, child care, transportation issue, or an emergency such as fire, flood, unexpected death, victim of a crime and the like. COABE also provides scholarship funds to first generation family members of current enrolled or recently graduated adult learners not to exceed $1,000.

Scholarships may support tuition, books, and course fees. Funds will not be paid toward debts/owed payments. Funding is provided to adult learners, their family members, and local programs that have current membership in COABE.

Through the generous work of the Educate and Elevate Foundation which was established, in part by seed funding provided by Essential Education , we hope to help offset challenges to sustained learning by providing just-in-time supplemental grants and scholarships to adult learners, their families, and their local programs.