Further My Education

Southern believes every person should be afforded the opportunity to receive a quality education and attain the education level they desire. Southern helps to enable that possibility through its asset-building programs and efforts with partnering organizations. If you’re interested in bettering or increasing your education, check out the opportunities below Southern assists in providing:

  • Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) – IDAs are unique savings accounts that match the deposits of low- and moderate-income people. For every dollar saved in an IDA,  Southern program participants receive a 3:1 match. Program participants must also agree to complete financial education classes and use their savings for an asset-building purpose, like saving for a college education.
  • Credit counseling – Southern offers the services of certified credit counselors to help you reach your goals of saving for college, better money management, and a more financially secure future.  Clients can attend financial education classes or work with one-on-one with our counselors on goals like paying off debt or improving credit history so they may qualify for better student loan rates.  Services are free and open to the public.
  • College-savings programs – To increase educational attainment in Arkansas, Southern’s policy team secured state funding in 2008 for the Aspiring Scholars program, which matches funds up to $2,500 saved for Arkansas 529 college savings accounts. In 2010, Southern partnered with the Ross Foundation to create the Arkaldelphia Promise Scholarship. The Arkaldelphia Promise pays the difference  between the dollar amount of a lottery-funded scholarship and the highest tuition and mandatory fees charged by an Arkansas public college or univeristy. The scholarship is specifically for graduates of Arkadelphia High School. Additionally, Southern provided a grant to establish the Great River Promise, a scholarship fund for Phillips County, Arkansas. The Great River Promise is set-up to help high school graduates in Phillips County attend Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas.