New website provides students, families with tools to communicate with Congress
ACE is proud to be part of a national campaign to double the maximum Pell Grant to $13,000 and help more students earn a degree, get a good-paying job and achieve a brighter future.
The campaign features a new website, doublepell.org, which provides students and families with the tools to communicate with Congress, engage on social media, and share personal stories about how the Pell Grant has helped them—and express their support for doubling Pell by June 2022, the 50th anniversary of the program’s creation.
#DoublePell is a national campaign led by the Double Pell Alliance, a coalition of higher education associations, organizations, and advocacy groups committed to this goal. The Pell Grant is a proven program and the foundation of federal student aid for decades. It helps nearly 7 million low- and moderate-income students attend and complete college annually.
Doubling the maximum Pell Grant is an important investment that will drive economic recovery, help address racial and economic inequities, particularly in light of pandemic-related challenges, and increase overall educational attainment, noted ACE President Ted Mitchell.
“ACE is excited to partner with the Double Pell Alliance in urging Congress to act now to double the maximum Pell Grant,” said Mitchell. “Doubling Pell is the surest and quickest public policy move we can make to bolster opportunity for all students. This new website will provide millions of students and their families the ability to communicate directly with lawmakers.”
The heart of #Doublepell is the Take Action page, which includes a customizable letter that students, families, alumni, and other stakeholders can send to their members of Congress, and shareable social media graphics to amplify the #DoublePell campaign messages.
For millions of students, Pell Grants make the difference between being able to attend college or not. Pell Grants are well-targeted to students with clear financial need: Nearly 90 percent of all Pell dollars go to students with a family income below $50,000, and are especially critical for students of color. Congress is currently considering proposals to increase the maximum Pell Grant by a total of $1,875. While that represents an improvement, it does not go nearly far enough.
Double Pell already has the support of the Biden administration and widespread, bipartisan support on Capitol Hill. The #DoublePell website will be an important and accessible way for students and families to tell lawmakers why it’s important to double the maximum Pell Grant now. ACE and other members of the Double Pell Alliance hope that colleges and universities and an array of organizations will share the #DoublePell website widely with students, families and other stakeholders.