The Dallas Martin Endowment (DME) was created to help cultivate the next generation of student aid advocates. The mission of the endowment, established in 2008, is to support leadership, research, and best practices in public policy and student aid, and to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in the financial aid profession. 

Among the endowment's funded projects are: 

• An ongoing initiative providing internships to upper division undergraduate and graduate students with an interest in financial aid, including policy analysis and/or research; up to two semester‐long internships are funded annually for students. 
• The NASFAA Diversity Leadership Program (DLP), which provides selectees from historically marginalized and underrepresented groups with a robust portfolio of benefits, mentorship, and guidance on how to develop as a financial aid leader at the state, regional, and national level.

Additional projects may be occasionally funded from the endowment with express approval of NASFAA's financial affairs committee, as long as those projects are in keeping with the purposes of the endowment. View the DME Prospectus to learn more about the purposes, policies, and goals of the fund. 

Summer 2023 DME Policy Intern: Abbie Barondess

Abbie, our 2023 Dallas Martin Endowment Policy Intern, will be with working with NASFAA's policy team through early August. Abbie is a dual degree master’s student at the University of Michigan receiving her degrees in public policy and higher education. After receiving her bachelor's degree in neuroscience from the University of Michigan in 2019, she worked as a college advisor with the Michigan College Advising Corps — a branch of AmeriCorps that places recent graduates in high schools across the state to increase the number of first-generation and low-income students entering and completing postsecondary education. Abbie is passionate about increasing college access and completion and is excited about the opportunity to advocate for impactful student aid policies that will allow more students to access the benefits of higher education. We look forward to having Abbie with us this summer.

Read Abbie's introductory and farewell articles to learn more about her and what her favorite experiences were as a NASFAA Policy Intern. 

NASFAA's Former DME Policy Interns

NASFAA's former interns (listed below) have gone on to make meaningful contributions to the financial aid profession, the broader field of higher education, and society as a whole. Read our "Where Are They Now?" article — written by 2021 DME Policy Intern Richard Davis, Jr. and published in August 2021 — to learn more about these talented professionals and the impact they are making on the world. 

• Jackson Snellman, Summer 2022
• Richard Davis, Jr., Summer 2021
• Muhammad Kara, Summer 2020
• Maylene Rodruiguez Scott, Summer 2019
• McCall Hopkin, Summer 2018
• Brianna Hayes, Summer 2017
• Janette Martinez, Summer 2016
• Angel Flores, Summer 2015
• Blondeen Philemond, Summer 2014
• Charlotte Etier, Summer 2013
• Margot O'Meara, Summer 2012

Donations

In 2013, the DME reached its initial fundraising goal of $300,000 thanks to the generous support of contributors and funds allocated by the NASFAA Board of Directors– but there is still more work to be done! To donate to the Dallas Martin Endowment, please donate online:

$25 Donation | $50 Donation | $100 Donation

About Dr. Dallas Martin

Dr. A. Dallas Martin, Jr. dedicated his career to helping students achieve their higher education goals. The fund honors his accomplishments during his 32 years with NASFAA.