Financial Aid 101: Your First Year

​New to financial aid or taking on the responsibility for the first time? This practical Financial Aid 101 session will help you understand what you need to have in place and how the pieces fit together as applications arrive.

We’ll cover the financial aid season from start to finish, including calculation fundamentals, key financial documents, policies and protocols, family communication, committee structure, awarding and appeals. We’ll also focus on the realities of managing financial aid in New York City, where high housing and childcare costs, complex family financial profiles, and a highly competitive independent school landscape can make affordability decisions especially nuanced.

You’ll leave with a practical roadmap, the right questions to ask at your school, and greater confidence heading into your first financial aid season.

​SPEAKER: Alisa Evans is the founder and CEO of Mission Enrollment, a Certified B Corporation that helps K–12 independent schools build fair, sustainable, and mission-aligned financial-aid programs. She has devoted more than 25 years to helping independent schools and higher-education institutions strengthen their financial sustainability while expanding access to an excellent education. Under Alisa’s leadership, more than 125 independent schools across the country entrust their financial-aid assessments to Mission Enrollment each year. She is a frequent speaker and trainer on financial-aid strategy, trends, and best practices and serves as a trustee and treasurer on two independent-school boards. Her work helps schools balance access, enrollment goals, responsible stewardship, and thoughtful support for families.