The Office of the State Controller issued a Special Examination on HB 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025. including the impact on higher education (pp. 24-26). The report captures the sweeping changes that further complicate scholarship decisions, which colleges and universities are digesting as they consider strategies to manage the changes.
The foundation applauds the Committee’s September 9, 2025 Informational Forum with representatives from Connecticut institutions of higher education examining the impact of federal policy shifts and initial plans for managing them. The calculus colleges, universities, private scholarship partners, as well as students and their families are managing to finance college is far more complex. It requires partners to lean into working collaboratively to address critical student financial needs fairly and with transparency.
As the federal government rolls back loan caps and other support, we want to ensure we know the incidence of scholarship displacement in Connecticut based on local data. We also want to understand the pressures underlying scholarship adjustments that institutions make. The strategy for addressing displacements needs to consider the interests of all impacted parties to be balanced. Before implementing mandates, we recommend as a first step a strategy that offers incentives to promote transparency and meaningful student supports. We recommend considering more fully whether institutions need flexibility to meet the growing financial needs of students.
The foundation appreciates the positive intent of this legislation to ensure that private and public investments in scholarship programs are used to complement rather than supplant college financial aid resources at Connecticut’s higher education institutions. In the recent report submitted by the Task Force to Support Promise Programs in the State of Connecticut, which includes representatives of higher education institutions, members recommended additional work be done to ensure institutional transparency in financial aid. This would require that higher education institutions provide clear, multi-year financial aid award letters, including true costs, loan expectations, and any one-time or front-loaded awards. Institutions must commit to transparent, student-friendly communication practices and supports.
Since 1925, the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation (formerly known as the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving) has proudly served as the community foundation for the 29-town Greater Hartford region. Last year, the foundation celebrated 100 years of service and remains committed to building an even greater Hartford region. Over the past two years, we have distributed more than $100 million in grants to promote equitable opportunity for all residents in our region. Made possible by the gifts of generous individuals, families and organizations, the Foundation has awarded grants of more than $1 billion since its founding.
As part of our strategic efforts to dismantle structural racism and advance equitable economic and social mobility for Black and Latine residents of Greater Hartford, the foundation continues to work with government, nonprofit and other public-private partners to increase stable employment and career opportunities for youth and adults in our region facing multiple barriers. Our investments create opportunities across the education and employment continuum. We work with nonprofits, school districts, employers, and policymakers to help K-12 students and their families have the resources and guidance to persist in school, and adequate scholarships and supports to ensure access to and through post-secondary education programs.
Working with donors who share our commitment to higher education access for Connecticut students, the Foundation has a tradition of supporting students with limited financial resources to attend college and get continued support to reach their academic and career goals. The foundation’s approach has evolved to increase scholarship levels substantially and student supports to persist getting to and through college as well as more fully meet the costs of attending and additional related expenses. In 2025 the foundation announced a partnership with Hartford Promise – the Greater Futures Scholarship Fund, which couples up to $100,000, four-year scholarships with personalized supports that help high-achieving students get to, through, and beyond college successfully.
The foundation also expands access to employment by funding workforce skill development programs for adults who face the greatest barriers to finding a job, including those returning to education, young people who feel disconnected from school and work, and people returning from incarceration.
The foundation applauds the intent of House Bill 5158 to ensure that Connecticut students who need financial aid receive all the resources available to them. In addition to the Greater Future’s Scholarship Fund, the foundation continues to provide hundreds of scholarships totaling more than $1 million in scholarships each year through more than 100 funds created at the foundation by individuals, families and organizations. The foundation has been awarding scholarships since 1945 and has seen first-hand the importance of students receiving adequate funds to attend college. For many students, especially those from low- and moderate-income families, whether they receive the financial aid needed directly affects the feasibility of attending four-year colleges. We know that a high percentage of older and first-generation students in Connecticut rely on receiving substantial support.
The foundation also provided a $45,000 community organizing grant to the Student Loan Fund to support its work to develop leaders to help improve the systems of higher education funding and financing that disproportionately impact people of color and first-generation students. With an average debt of $36,000, borrowers are struggling to build wealth, contribute fully to their families, and engage deeply with their communities. Student debt is a racial equity issue. Black women owe more than any other group.
In order to ensure that the legislative strategy is meaningful, timely and avoids creating unintended negative consequences, the foundation believes it is vital to continue working with Connecticut’s colleges and universities to gauge how this proposal impacts their ability to provide financial support to students, and current and emerging strategies to manage the increased needs fairly and with transparency. With continued dialogue, the legislature can continue to make progress towards reducing the costs of a college education for Connecticut’s students and responding to financial aid needs, particularly for students who have historically had limited higher education opportunities and representation in student bodies to ensure diverse experiences and perspectives.