Women with a college degree are more likely to be employed, earn higher incomes, and achieve long-term financial stability than women without degrees. Yet LCU Fund research shows that our scholars spend nearly half of their monthly income on housing, leaving them cost-burdened. Students in their third year or beyond—the undergraduate population the LCU Fund supports—face higher rates of housing insecurity compared to first-year students. Closing these gaps in the cost of living for women scholars is a crucial pathway to disrupting the cycle of poverty.

National research shows that the lack of safe, affordable housing disproportionately affects lower-income students, students of color, and women scholars—and has cascading impacts on their long-term economic resilience. Our housing grants provide a crucial stabilizing force, helping ensure that students in need remain securely housed and preventing scholars committed to completing their education from slipping into homelessness or having to drop out of school.

The vital roles of educators, health service providers, public administrators, social workers, and professionals in the visual and performing arts often require expensive advanced degrees—creating significant barriers for low-income scholars who aspire to enter these fields. The LCU Fund helps level access to these opportunities by offsetting the high costs of specialization in social impact professions. By supporting women scholars as they pursue the credentials required for these career paths, the LCU Fund unlocks their full potential for economic parity and advances a more equitable, inclusive workforce.