Sallie Mae, the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company, today announced its charitable foundation, The Sallie Mae Fund, made three significant grants to support programs that help Delaware students prepare for college. The company provided $50,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware, $30,000 to Junior Achievement of Delaware, and $25,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Delaware.

The $50,000 grant to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware will support college-awareness programs, including learning resources centers at club locations throughout the state, books and curriculum-based guides for tutors at every grade level, and dedicated space for academic tutoring. The Sallie Mae Fund grant also will help fund scholarships awarded to the organization’s State Youth of the Year winners.

“This grant will help hundreds of youth prepare for success in college and throughout life,” said George Krupanski, president and CEO, Boys & Girls Club of Delaware. “We aim to help our Club members achieve their goals beyond high school, and Sallie Mae’s financial support and employee volunteers make it easier for kids to succeed.”

The $30,000 grant to Junior Achievement of Delaware will support “JA Career Fusion” programs, in which middle- and high-school students explore careers and associated educational requirements, and learn how to prepare and pay for college. The Sallie Mae Fund grant will also underwrite the paying-for-college section in the tablet version of “JA Finance Park,” which influences student course selection and other post-secondary education decisions.

“From kindergarten to 12th grade, all Junior Achievement experiences help students connect their academic accomplishment to their future success,” said Rob Eppes, president, Junior Achievement of Delaware. “We are deeply appreciative of not just Sallie Mae’s funding, but also the many employees who volunteer their time and talents to teach our courses, lead workshops, and otherwise mentor our students.”

The $25,000 grant to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Delaware will support the BBBS mentoring partnership in nine schools in New Castle County. Mentors visit weekly with students in grades one through 12 to provide one-on-one academic assistance, emotional support, and guidance for at-risk students.

“More than 80 percent of the students in our mentoring program are from low-income families,” said Mary P. Fox, executive director, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Delaware. “These students need extra encouragement, and Sallie Mae’s grant will help us help them set higher goals for themselves.”

The Sallie Mae Fund supports employee volunteerism and community service in communities where Sallie Mae employees live and work.

“The Boys & Girls Clubs, Junior Achievement, and Big Brothers Big Sisters are terrifically successful at helping young people realize their potential,” said Bonnie Beasley, senior vice president, Sallie Mae Bank, and president, The Sallie Mae Fund. “Their efforts to promote the importance and value of higher education fit naturally with Sallie Mae’s desire to help families make college happen, and we value the contributions they make to the well-being of our community and its citizens.”

Sallie Mae, which has been helping families make college happen for more than 40 years, has more than 700 full-time employees at its corporate headquarters in Newark, Del. For more information, free resources, and tips on how to save, plan, and pay for college, visit www.salliemae.com.

About the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware is part of a nationwide movement whose mission is to inspire and enable all young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens. The Clubs provide vital youth development services for more than 30,000 children ages six through 20. The 44 sites are located where such programs are limited or nonexistent. With additional resources, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware could expand into additional unserved areas to serve even more youth in need.

About Junior Achievement of Delaware

Junior Achievement of Delaware’s mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. Taking a proactive approach to combating poverty, high dropout rates, and other social ills that interfere with young people achieving the American Dream, the organization provides 26 curriculum offerings that serve more than 15,000 local students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The JA message is one of self-sufficiency, entrepreneurial opportunity, personal responsibility, and sustainability.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Delaware

For more than 50 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Delaware has partnered with adult mentors and role models to provide at-risk children, primarily from single-parent homes, with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-on-one relationships that help them gain self-confidence, realize their potential, and envision happy and successful futures. For more information, or to support the organization’s efforts, visit www.bbbsde.org.

About Sallie Mae

Sallie Mae (NASDAQ: SLM) is the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company. Whether college is a long way off or just around the corner, Sallie Mae offers products that promote responsible personal finance, including private education loans, Upromise rewards, scholarship search, college financial planning tools, and online retail banking. Learn more at SallieMae.com. Commonly known as Sallie Mae, SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.