# Ep. 190: What to do About the Pell Grant Running out of Money with Kristin Hultquist

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-key-with-inside-higher-ed-1232013/ep-190-what-to-do-about-the-pell-grant-running-out-of-money-with-kristin-hultquist
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-key-with-inside-higher-ed-1232013/ep-190-what-to-do-about-the-pell-grant-running-out-of-money-with-kristin-hultquist.md
Podcast: [The Key with Inside Higher Ed](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-key-with-inside-higher-ed-1232013)
Published: 2026-03-05T07:42:00+00:00
Episode link: https://insidehighered.podbean.com/e/ep-190-what-to-do-about-the-pell-grant-running-out-of-money-with-kristin-hultquist/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/dg4qn5nns3vk8kuk/the_key_0304267ip0u.mp3
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Duration seconds: 2924

## Resource

Last month the Congressional Budget Office projected an $11.5 billion shortfall in Pell funding by fiscal year 2027. The program provides need-based federal financial aid for more than 30 percent of American college students. Part of the funding problem is that Congress made getting aid easier without appropriating more money to cover the increase in students gaining access. Finding a solution requires out of the box thinking that creates sustainable funding without limiting opportunity for first-generation students, according to this week’s guest, Kristin Hultquist, the founder and CEO of HCM strategies and an expert in higher education policy and strategy development. In this episode of The Key, Hultquist speaks with Inside Higher Ed’s editor in chief Sara Custer about what a long-term funding strategy for a modern Pell Grant program could look like. Thank you to our partners at the Gates Foundation for sponsoring this episode.

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## Transcript

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