# Strada Education Foundation

> Strada is a nonprofit foundation focused on connecting education with opportunity. We work to make postsecondary education-to-employment pathways more accessible, affordable, and equitable — especially for people who face the greatest barriers.

Strada was founded on the legacy of United Student Aid Funds (est. 1960) and became Strada Education Foundation in 2022. We are headquartered in Indianapolis, IN with an office in Washington, D.C. Our work is funded primarily through an endowment. We are not a school, lender, or staffing agency — we are a systems-level foundation that funds research, grantmaking, policy advocacy, and strategic investment to improve how education and work connect in the United States.

## About

- [About Strada](https://www.strada.org/about): Our mission, history, and organizational overview. Strada was originally United Student Aid Funds, transitioned to Strada Education Network in 2017, and became Strada Education Foundation in 2022.
- [Our Leaders](https://www.strada.org/team): Profiles of Strada's executive team and board members.
- [Our Partners](https://www.strada.org/about/partners): Education providers, employers, funders, and state and national organizations we collaborate with.
- [Careers](https://www.strada.org/about/careers): Open positions at Strada.
- [Contact](https://www.strada.org/about/contact): How to reach us.

## Focus Areas

Strada's work is organized around five strategic focus areas, each targeting a specific barrier between education and employment.

- [Clear Outcomes](https://www.strada.org/focus-areas/clear-outcomes): Ensuring students have access to accurate, transparent data on employment outcomes so they can make informed decisions about postsecondary education.
- [Quality Coaching](https://www.strada.org/focus-areas/quality-coaching): Expanding access to education-to-career coaching that helps people identify their interests, choose a career path, navigate education options, and overcome obstacles.
- [Affordability](https://www.strada.org/focus-areas/affordability): Making postsecondary education financially accessible with costs that are clear, predictable, and manageable for students and families.
- [Work-Based Learning](https://www.strada.org/focus-areas/work-based-learning): Creating more opportunities for paid internships, apprenticeships, and other experiences that bridge classroom learning and career readiness.
- [Employer Alignment](https://www.strada.org/focus-areas/employer-alignment): Encouraging employers to hire and advance people based on skills and competencies — not just degree credentials — and to build stronger connections with education programs.

## How We Work

- [Approach](https://www.strada.org/how-we-work): Overview of Strada's strategy for systems-level change across education, workforce, and policy sectors.
- [Research](https://www.strada.org/how-we-work/research): We conduct and publish original research on postsecondary outcomes, student needs, and employer practices to inform the field.
- [Grantmaking](https://www.strada.org/how-we-work/grantmaking): We fund nonprofits and postsecondary institutions developing innovative solutions to systemic barriers in education and employment.
- [Policy Solutions](https://www.strada.org/how-we-work/policy-solutions): We share evidence-based policy recommendations and work with federal and state policymakers to advance equitable education-to-work pathways.
- [Strategic Investments](https://www.strada.org/how-we-work/strategic-investments): We invest in early-stage and established companies whose work supports the learners and workers we serve.
- [Strategic Communications](https://www.strada.org/how-we-work/strategic-communications): We work to shift public narratives around postsecondary education and its value.

## News and Insights

- [All News and Insights](https://www.strada.org/news-insights): Reports, articles, and analysis across all five focus areas.
- [State Opportunity Index](https://www.strada.org/state-opportunity-index): A tool that measures how well each U.S. state is connecting residents to postsecondary education and economic opportunity.

## Optional

- [Privacy Policy](https://www.strada.org/privacy-policy)
- [Terms of Use](https://www.strada.org/terms)