Cal Grant B provides up to three years of tuition assistance for low-income students. Most awardees have family incomes below $30,000. These grants make college possible for thousands of students who would otherwise struggle to afford higher education. 

However, these grants are worth less and less due to legislative cuts and a failure to keep the grants consistent with inflation. The current Cal Grant B access award--which students use for college costs beyond tuition--is worth one-quarter of what the original grant was worth after adjusting for inflation. By supporting this petition, I believe that college should be more affordable for students that most need assistance.

Check out some of the highlights from our first Student Impact Convening in California. Special guests included State Senator Hannah Beth Jackson, Vanessa Cajina, Legislative Advocate for the Western Center on Law & Poverty, and Jessie Ryan, Associate Director of the Campaign for College Opportunity. 

Every state faces unique challenges and opportunities in financing its higher education system. Here's what's been happening in California lately, and how we're working with students to make affordable college a reality for all Californians.

Recently, Young Invincibles released a report titled Closing the Race Gap, which closely examined racial disparities in young adult unemployment, as well as the role of higher education in reducing those disparities on a national scale.

For California, we took the report one step further, analyzing racial disparities in California's young adult employment rates, as well as state specific initiatives to support higher education.
Click here to read Closing the Race Gap: California!

We'll continue to work on improving college access and lowering tuition in California, whether or not the legislature is in session.
Click here to download our break down of the budget process in California.