The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office of Research and Education Accountability has announced they have completed an evaluation of a program providing financial aid to armed services veterans to attend institutions of higher education in Tennessee. The review of Helping Heroes Grants focused on the last four years of the program’s operation from 2017 to 2021.
The grants award up to $1,000 per semester for full-time students. There were 419 grant recipients in academic year 2017-18 compared to only 196 for 2020-21.
The Comptroller’s Office has provided policy options for consideration by the General Assembly in its report. These include encouraging greater public awareness of Helping Heroes Grants as well as amending state law concerning the value of the grant and the possible use of these grants at Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology.
For more information on the Helping Heroes Grant Helping Heroes Grant (tn.gov)