The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the difficulties that many college students face as they seek to transform their lives through education. In a survey conducted well before the crisis shut down cafeterias and dormitories, the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice at Temple University found that 39 percent of students across the United States had experienced food insecurity, and nearly 50 percent faced housing insecurity.

And it has become even more difficult for people to meet their basic needs while seeking an education now that college students—especially adult learners and those who are parents—must grapple with the health, economic, and social impacts of a global pandemic.

To meet this rising challenge, ETF@JFFLabs announced in a LinkedIn article that the fund has made a $250,000 grant to Edquity, which uses evidence-based technology to distribute emergency aid to the college students who need it most. With this grant, Edquity will expand its critical service to new colleges, with a focus on reaching community colleges where many low-income adult learners have been disproportionately impacted by the economic fallout from the pandemic.

ETF@JFFLabs is proud to partner with Edquity and other startups harnessing technology for the economic advancement of all. The challenges we face today highlight the need for the agility and creativity of innovators like Edquity to create a more equitable future.