Selected Educational Trust Receives Grant from Global Atlantic Financial Group to Expand  Workforce Development Programs 

LINCOLNSHIRE, IL — March 27, 2025 — The Selected Educational Trust is pleased to announce  that it has received a grant from Global Atlantic Financial Group to enhance and expand its  Workforce Development offerings. With staffing recruitment, training, and retention being among  the most pressing challenges for independent funeral home owners, this funding will provide  critical support and resources to strengthen the profession. 

Through this grant, Global Atlantic Financial Group’s financial support will allow the Trust to grow  its four key Workforce Development initiatives: the Employment Center, Career Center, Mortuary  Science Student Center, and Job Fairs. These programs serve as essential resources for  independent funeral homes seeking to attract, train, and retain top-tier talent within the profession. “We are thrilled to receive this generous grant from Global Atlantic Financial Group to elevate our  Workforce Development programs,” said Stefanie Favia, Executive Director of the Selected  Educational Trust. “This partnership enables us to provide independent funeral home owners with  the solutions they need to address the ongoing workforce challenges. By expanding our initiatives,  we continue our mission of supporting and advancing the independent funeral service profession  through education and career development.” 

The Trust’s Workforce Development programs provide a comprehensive approach to staffing  challenges. The Employment Center allows Selected members to post job openings with broad  visibility, including direct outreach to every accredited Mortuary Science School in the country. The  Career Center connects funeral professionals with potential employers while maintaining their  privacy. The Mortuary Science Student Center serves as a dedicated database of aspiring funeral  service professionals, helping member firms discover emerging talent. Finally, the Job Fairs facilitate direct connections between funeral home owners and Mortuary Science students, with  proven success in employment placements. 

As part of this initiative, the Trust will leverage its pre-existing relationships with mortuary science  schools to directly reach mortuary science students and early-career professionals seeking job  opportunities. New resources will be created and curated specifically for this demographic to  support their professional growth.

“At Global Atlantic Financial Group, we recognize the crucial role that funeral professionals play in  their communities,” said Tim Bridgers, Managing Director of Preneed at Global Atlantic Financial  Group. “By providing this grant to the Trust’s Workforce Development programs, we are investing in  the future of the funeral service profession, ensuring that dedicated professionals continue to  provide compassionate and high-quality care to families when they need it most.” 

This grant underscores the commitment of both organizations to strengthen the independent  funeral service profession through meaningful career opportunities and education. For more  information about the Selected Educational Trust and its Workforce Development initiatives, visit  www.selectedtrust.org or contact Stefanie Favia at stefanie@selectedtrust.org.  

### 

About the Selected Educational Trust 

The mission of the Selected Educational Trust (www.selectedtrust.org) is to provide the best educational  opportunities for the advancement and support of all who work within the independent funeral service  profession. To fulfill this mission, the Trust provides programs which offer scholarships to mortuary science  students and funeral service professionals, online education through its Institute for Exceptional Funeral  Service powered by National Guardian Life Insurance Company (www.funeral-institute.org) and networking  and employment opportunities through its Workforce Development Centers, now powered by Global Atlantic  Financial Group. 

About Global Atlantic 

Global Atlantic Financial Group is a leading insurance company meeting the retirement and life insurance  needs of individuals and institutions. With a strong financial foundation and risk and investment  management expertise, the company delivers tailored solutions to create more secure financial futures.  The company’s performance has been driven by its culture and core values focused on integrity, teamwork,  and the importance of building long-term client relationships. Global Atlantic is a wholly owned subsidiary  of KKR, a leading global investment firm. Through its relationship, the company leverages KKR’s investment  capabilities, scale and access to capital markets to enhance the value it offers clients. KKR’s parent  company is KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR). 

Global Atlantic Financial Group (Global Atlantic) is the marketing name for The Global Atlantic Financial  Group LLC and its subsidiaries, including Forethought Life Insurance Company and Accordia Life and Annuity  Company. Each subsidiary is responsible for its own financial and contractual obligations. These  subsidiaries are not authorized to do business in New York.

It’s probable to say that the fad of Green Burials has turned into a trend and may have become an accepted norm to human disposition.  Evidence of this is given by the decision of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs announcing in this press release that it is instituting a “pilot program” for interment options that minimize environmental impact.

The release, made public in late November, names three National Memorial Cemeteries that will allow the practice at this time.  Those cemeteries include the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix; Pikes Peak National Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida.

According to the press release the pilot initiative will allow the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) . . .”to gather critical information to inform customer expectations and communications and define operational procedures for implementing green burial sections at additional cemeteries”.  

The NCA will “. . . accept both cremated and intact remains for interment in green burial sections. The law provides that remains interred in a green burial section must be prepared for burial in a manner that does not involve chemicals or embalming fluids and must be buried in a biodegradable casket or urn, or are otherwise interred in a natural manner, such as securely wrapped in a biodegradable shroud”.

Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Ronald Waters had this prepared statement, among others,  in the press release, “This pilot reflects our commitment to understand and address the emerging burial preferences of Veterans and their loved ones.”

Human Disposition Related News —  Alkaline hydrolysis faces issues in Texas.  This article and news video from NBC News tells of the University of North Texas Health Science Center that has been using alkaline hydrolysis as the form of disposition for human remains, even though the state of Texas has not yet legalized alkaline hydrolysis as a form of human disposition according to the state’s Funeral Commission.

More news from the world of Death Care:  

Enter your e-mail below to join the 3,124 others who receive Funeral Director Daily articles daily:

“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

VA Offering Green Burial Pilot Programs at Three National Cemeteries

A pilot program by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will soon allow for green burials in newly designated sections of three of its national cemeteries. In fact, the VA’s National Cemetery Administration (NCA) is already actively encouraging interested families to proactively request interment in these sections.

“NCA is pleased to begin offering this new option to Veterans and their family members eligible for interment in a VA national cemetery,” said Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Ronald Walters in the VA’s official press release. “This pilot reflects our commitment to understand and address the emerging burial preferences of Veterans and their loved ones.”

Green burial sections are being created in National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix, Arizona; Pikes Peak National Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida. 

Although the VA currently accepts various aspects of green burial — such as unembalmed remains and biodegradable receptacles — in its traditional sections in any national cemetery. However, those gravesites are not maintained as those in the specialized green burial sections will be. These new areas will feature a natural appearance, with native grasses and plants, and distinctive, flat grave markers.

The green burial sections were authorized with Congress’ passing of the National Cemeteries Preservation and Protection Act of 2022, which was signed into law in January 2023. The act also addressed plot and interment allowances on tribal-owned trust land, expansion of Fort Bliss National Cemetery in Texas, and additions to the list of crimes that would prohibit someone convicted of those offenses from burial in a national cemetery.

During the initial pilot phase of the green burial program, the NCA will “gather critical information to inform customer expectations and communications and define operational procedures for implementing green burial sections at additional cemeteries.”

Both cremated and intact remains will be accepted for green burial, as long as bodies are prepared without embalming chemicals and biodegradable containers or shrouds are utilized.