Race to Submit is challenging high schools in Riverside County to increase their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) + Dream Act submission rates and help students discover the financial aid available to them. These efforts have led to 15,150 applications submitted in 2014 to 20,132 applications submitted in 2016. The California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) has recognized these efforts and on February 23, 2017, voted to expand this competition statewide in 2018. Of the 13,204 CA Dream Act applications (undocumented students) submitted on time in 2016, 579 applications were Riverside County students.

The federal government provides more than $150 billion in grants, loans and work-study funds each year for students to attend college or career school. Too much of that money goes unused. Graduating seniors from the class of 2014 in California lost out on $396,401,205 in federal Pell Grant funds in 2013-2014 because students failed to submit Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the accompanying Cal Grant application.

Race to Submit supports the goal of the Riverside County Education Collaborative (RCEC) to increase the percentage of FAFSA completions from 52% to 93% through school years 18-19. The RCEC is working with students, parents, school counselors, teachers, and principals to reach that goal together.