For 25 years, the Church’s Perpetual Education Fund has helped more than 130,000 Latter-day Saints outside the U.S. and Canada with financial aid for education that leads to better employment opportunities and increased self-reliance.
The fund was announced by President Gordon B. Hinckley at general conference on March 31, 2001, as a “bold” global educational initiative to help individuals lift themselves out of poverty by gaining education that leads to better employment opportunities and increased self-reliance.
The 130,000-plus individuals who have used PEF loans and scholarships are in over 80 countries. Some 88% of graduates report finding better work after completing their education. The program is a revolving resource that reduces the burden of financing an education by providing loans with little to no interest, a portion as a scholarship, and a discount on the loan for rapid or regular repayment.
Learn more in the article “The Perpetual Education Fund at 25: Expanding Opportunity Through Education.”