Shoptalk 535, January 12, 2010

TG Report

TG to offer financial literacy symposium for proprietary schools in January

TG is offering a series of financial literacy symposia in 2010. TG's first symposium for the year, to be held on January 26 in San Diego, is designed to help proprietary schools advance their financial literacy efforts and, in turn, assist families and students. The event, which runs from 9 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. Pacific Time, will provide attendees with strategies for building effective financial literacy programs and offer insight into improving existing programs.

The symposium's agenda covers a range of topics that should benefit financial aid professionals, educators, and other student services professionals, including:

Financial literacy and career schools (a case study): Learn how one career college designed its financial literacy program to meet the needs of families and students.
Roundtable discussion: Discuss the case study, ask questions, and share your insights with peers.
On-campus financial literacy assessment: Explore various delivery methods for financial literacy programs.
TG resources: Hear more about what TG offers in support of campus financial literacy efforts and share your ideas for future financial literacy resources and materials. Your input is valuable as TG continues to develop products and services to support professionals managing financial literacy programs.
Building a community: Learn about and discuss TG's Positive+Balance Community℠ and identify ways it can further help professionals and educators learn and share best practices, connect with colleagues, download useful presentations, and more. The Positive+Balance Community is a social networking site created to foster dialogue among financial aid professionals who are developing and managing financial literacy initiatives.

View the complete agenda for the day's events on TG Online.

To register
Join TG for the San Diego symposium, or register for another symposium event through TG Online.

To learn more
For questions about the 2010 TG financial literacy symposia, please contact Margie Harvey, TG's financial literacy segment manager, at (800) 252-9743, or send an email message to margery.harvey@tgslc.org.

TG's Public Benefit Grant Program now accepting Letters of Inquiry from interested institutions

TG is pleased to announce that its Public Benefit Grant Program is now accepting Letters of Inquiry (LOIs) for projects to be funded in the 2010-11 academic year.

Application guidelines and materials are available online. The LOI template must be submitted on or before Thursday, February 4, to be considered. TG will send an email within one business day, confirming receipt of each LOI.

The Public Benefit Grant Program is designed to support nonprofit educational institutions and organizations that work to raise rates of college participation, student retention, and academic success. These institutions should be serving the needs of students from low- to moderate-income families, either directly or indirectly.

TG's competitive grant program is open to nonprofit organizations and Title IV-approved nonprofit or state-supported postsecondary institutions. Other eligible entities are listed in an online FAQ about the Public Benefit Grant Program.

Two important changes have been made to the grant proposal process for the 2010-11 academic year:

This year, TG will employ a two-step proposal review process. The first step requires applicants to complete a LOI template on or before February 4. Within two weeks of that time, TG program staff will review and respond to all LOIs received, informing applicants of the status of the application. At that time, applicants will be notified if they are being invited to continue to stage 2 of the competition, which will involve completing a full application. More details about the information required in the full application will be provided to those prospective grantees invited to continue.
The grant categories have changed. The need-based aid category has been eliminated as a separate category. However, applicants may propose need-based aid as a component of a project that involves direct services. A new category of organizational capacity building has been added.

Webinar to offer process overview and help
To learn more about the program, TG encourages prospective grantees to participate in the information session being offered online on Wednesday, January 13, 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. Central Time. This session will include an overview of TG and the Public Benefit Program, an explanation of the grant guidelines, and details about the changes to the application and review process. There is no cost to participate; a recording of the session will be posted online after the event.

To register for webinar
To register for the information session, please visit TG Online for more information. If you have any questions, please contact TG's director of public benefit grants Kristin Boyer at kristin.boyer@tgslc.org, or call (800) 252-9743, ext. 4518.

Join TG at Dallas regional training

TG will offer a full-day workshop on regulatory and industry topics on Thursday, January 28, at Dallas Baptist University. The training, which runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Central Time provides an overview of the latest legislative and regulatory developments affecting federal student aid programs. Attendees will learn more about TG's FY 2010 product plans, as well as possible future products and services.

Help families and students estimate college costs with TG's EFC calculator

The beginning of the calendar year means two things to many students and families: the start of a semester and the filing of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In completing the FAFSA, the student takes the first step in the financial aid process, securing what for many is an essential source of funding for a college education. Among other things, the FAFSA is used to calculate a family's EFC, or expected family contribution, toward a student's educational expenses.

To help students and families budget for these college expenses, TG's Adventures In Education (AIE™) offers a number of online calculators, including the Expected Family Contribution, or EFC, Calculator. (AIE is a college- and career-planning website that provides resources and information to families and students.)

The EFC calculator provides an estimate of what the student and his or her family will be expected to contribute towards educational expenses for the academic year of postsecondary education with which the FAFSA is associated. The calculator follows the formula used by the Department of Education (ED) but notes that official information is provided by ED once the student completes and submits the FAFSA.

Explore AIE's other calculators
You can find AIE's calculator tools, including the EFC Calculator, online at www.aie.org/Calculators/index.cfm. If you have questions about any of these tools, contact TG's communications team at (800) 252-9743, ext. 4588, or send an email message to communications@tgslc.org.