[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 122 (Monday, June 27, 2022)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 37977-37978]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-13785]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 87 , No. 122 / Monday, June 27, 2022 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 37977]]

                Proclamation 10419 of June 22, 2022

                
50th Anniversary of the Federal Pell Grant 
                Program

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                For 50 years, the Federal Pell Grant program has been 
                the cornerstone of our Nation's efforts to create a 
                financial pathway for tens of millions of low- and 
                middle-income students to attend college. Established 
                by the Congress in 1972 and named after former United 
                States Senator from Rhode Island Claiborne Pell, a 
                champion of higher education with whom I served in the 
                United States Senate, Pell Grants are awarded to 
                students based exclusively on their financial need. 
                Since the program's creation, Pell Grants have helped 
                more than 80 million students attend college and pursue 
                their dreams.

                Today, Pell Grants form the foundation of many 
                students' financial assistance packages--especially for 
                students of color. As the single largest source of 
                grants for postsecondary education, Pell Grants were 
                awarded to more than one-third of undergraduate 
                students last academic year.

                My Administration is committed to ensuring that higher 
                education is equitable, accessible, and affordable for 
                every student across the country. That is why, earlier 
                this year, I signed a bill that includes the largest 
                Pell Grant increase in over a decade. My Fiscal Year 
                2023 Budget calls for another historic increase in Pell 
                Grants for academic year 2023-2024 and would double the 
                maximum Pell Grants provided by 2029. Together, these 
                investments will make it possible for more students 
                from all backgrounds to pursue a postsecondary 
                education that prepares them for quality employment and 
                helps our Nation compete in the 21st century.

                My Administration has also significantly expanded the 
                Second Chance Pell Initiative, which enables students 
                who are incarcerated to receive this critical grant aid 
                so they can participate in postsecondary education 
                programs, supporting their success and helping them 
                make greater contributions to society upon their 
                release. First established in 2015 by the Obama-Biden 
                Administration, the Initiative has expanded under my 
                Administration to 73 additional schools, providing 
                access to education to thousands of additional 
                students, reducing recidivism rates, and improving 
                public safety. This will help the Department of 
                Education prepare for the full expansion of Pell Grant 
                eligibility to incarcerated students in July 2023.

                On this 50th anniversary, our Nation pays tribute to 
                the importance of Federal Pell Grants and the 
                opportunities they afford millions of students across 
                our Nation. Today, let us recommit to expanding access 
                to quality education so that all of our citizens are 
                empowered to achieve their professional goals and 
                contribute to the success and prosperity of America.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 23, 2022, 
                as the 50th Anniversary of the Federal Pell Grant 
                Program. I call upon all Americans to observe this 
                milestone and to recognize the significant contribution 
                Pell Grants have made to strengthen our Nation's 
                prosperity by making a college education more available 
                to all of our children.

[[Page 37978]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-second day of June, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                sixth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2022-13785
Filed 6-24-22; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F2-P