The FamilyU Seal:
Honoring institutions and organizations that champion
student parents
The 2024 application is now closed. The FamilyU Seal application will open again in the summer of 2025.
A national certification for higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations making significant strides in intentionally serving student parents.
The FamilyU Seal is a national certification awarded to higher education institutions and nonprofits that demonstrate exemplary, measurable efforts in supporting parenting students. These efforts result in remarkable outcomes for the institutions, organizations, and the students they serve.
To evaluate inclusivity and support of student parents, we use our FamilyU technical assistance framework that helps colleges and universities build their capacity to better serve this population.
The purpose of the Seal program is to:
Identify institutions and organizations that are actively investing in student parent success across the country
Inspire other institutions and organizations to invest in student parent success
Increase awareness of the student parent population
Through all of our work, we have seen the importance of investing in parenting students and centering their voices in all that we do; the connection between student parent work and racial justice work; and the evidence that when institutions and organizations intentionally support student parents, everyone benefits.
The 2024 FamilyU Seal Application Process
The application for the 2024-2027 FamilyU Seal is now closed.
Watch the 2024 FamilyU Seal Info Session:
A World Changing Idea
Fast Company has named Generation Hope’s FamilyU Seal a winner in the Social Equity category of the 2024 World Changing Ideas Awards. The World Changing Ideas Awards are a celebration of innovation, highlighting solutions that address the most pressing challenges of our time. Out of over 1,300 entries, only 50 winners were selected across various categories. Learn more.
FamilyU Seal Eligibility & Process
Eligibility:
Higher Education Institutions: Any two- or four-year nonprofit postsecondary institution (public or private) within the United States and its territories can apply. Higher education districts with multiple independently operated and led institutions (rather than a district of campuses that operate as one institution) cannot apply for the Seal. However, an individual institution within that district can apply.
Nonprofit organizations: Any nonprofit organization that is directly serving parenting college students in the United States and its territories can apply.
Individuals are not eligible to apply.
Awards:
While there is no cap on the number of institutions and organizations that will receive a seal (the number will be determined by how many meet the baseline criteria), we will select one exemplar institution to receive a $25,000 award, and one exemplar nonprofit to receive a $15,000 award to support their continued student parent work.
Application Review and Fee:
A Review Committee composed of student parents, funders, advocates, educators, and other key partners will assist in reviewing and scoring applications. Generation Hope staff will compile scores and make final decisions regarding FamilyU Seal recipients.
The FamilyU Seal application fee is $250 to support the administrative costs associated with the program and must be paid by credit card at the time of application submission.
Post-Selection Activities for Recipients:
The FamilyU Seal is a three-year designation. Institutions and organizations that are selected in 2024 will be showcased as a recipient until the summer of 2027. At the end of the three-year cycle, institutions and organizations must reapply for the FamilyU Seal. The FamilyU Seal opportunity will be available on an annual basis.
All FamilyU Seal Recipients must:
Display the official FamilyU Seal on the certification page of their website and on any student parent web pages
Share the promotional materials provided by Generation Hope during the September 2024 announcement of all recipients
The exemplar institution and organization must also:
Use the funds to advance their student parent work
Provide a brief explanation of how the funds have been used six months after the funds are distributed
Send at least one representative to Generation Hope’s national conference, HOPE 2025, April 9-11, 2025 in National Harbor, MD to accept the award
To learn more about applying for the FamilyU Seal, please see our Frequently Asked Questions.
Meet the FamilyU Seal Recipients
In 2023, 13 higher ed institutions and 1 nonprofit organization received the FamilyU Seal. We also awarded two exemplar designations to Montgomery College and the Jeremiah Program. Meet these student parent champions in our interactive database.
2023 Exemplar Institution: Montgomery College
2023 Exemplar Nonprofit: Jeremiah Program
Four Components of the FamilyU Seal
Policy
Institutions/organizations have positive momentum among three key policy areas:
Crafting policies that specifically support student parents
Including student parents in governance and policy creation
Removing or revising policies that exclude/marginalize student parents
Data
Institutions/organizations have accurate data and positive momentum among six key student parent data areas:
Actively tracking parenting status of students
Retaining students
Disaggregating data to identify equity gaps
Providing financial support
Reporting degree completion
Translating data into evidence-based programs
People
Institutions/organizations demonstrate people practices that lead to improved student parent success in the following three areas:
Continuously training of faculty/staff on the needs and experiences of student parents
Ensuring diverse representation in administration, faculty, and staff to reflect the institution’s/organization’s student population
Implementing hiring practices that include an understanding of the student parent population
Culture
Institutions/organizations demonstrate a culture that embraces student parents through the following four areas:
Creating intentional family-friendly spaces that are accessible to students
Ensuring representation of student parents in internal and external communications
Including student parents in strategic objectives of the institution/organization
Including student parent work in the institution’s/organization’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work
“In order for college completion and economic mobility to become a reality for more families nationwide, this movement must continue to grow. We are thrilled to honor those institutions and organizations through the FamilyU Seal program that are not only acknowledging parenting students, but also aiding their pathway to and through college.”
— Nicole Lynn Lewis, Founder & CEO, Generation Hope
Questions?
If you have a question about the FamilyU Seal or the application, feel free to reach out to us at familyuseal@generationhope.org.
If you’d like to receive updates about our FamilyU Seal, please complete this form.