Advancing Community College Students’ Post-Graduation Success
Exploration
This grant supports The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program in supporting a cohort of 10 community colleges to implement policy and practice reforms that will increase the postgraduation success of their students, namely students of color and learners from low-income backgrounds.
Building & Applying Strong Evidence About Postsecondary Success & Economic Mobility
Validation
This grant supports MDRC in engaging in a continuous cycle of rigorous research, active dissemination and hands-on technical assistance that builds the capacity of colleges and workforce training providers to improve outcomes for learners from low-income backgrounds.
Supporting Work Shift and The Job's National Reporting on Workforce Training Pathways
Other
This grant supports Work Shift News, a project of Open Campus Media, in continuing and expanding its reporting focused on trends, opportunities, and challenges in postsecondary education and workforce training.
Transformation of the Postsecondary Landscape
Scaling
This grant supports Education Design Lab in strengthening the ability of colleges and states to better meet the needs of learners from low-income backgrounds — especially adult, parent, and working learners — through high-quality, workforce aligned training pathways. Grant-funded projects will specifically focus on strengthening capacity in rural community colleges to design and implement new pathways.
Supporting National Reporting on Postsecondary Education in Prison and Rural Postsecondary Education and Workforce Training
Other
This grant supports Open Campus Media in continuing and expanding its reporting focused on postsecondary education and workforce training issues impacting learner populations at the core of Ascendium’s philanthropic mission including incarcerated learners and rural learners from low-income backgrounds.
Increasing Opportunities for Justice-Impacted Learners
Exploration
This grant supports The Education Trust in delivering a fellowship program focused on building a cohort of formerly incarcerated college graduates who can serve as field leaders and are equipped to inform and strengthen policy and research regarding postsecondary education in prison.
Learner and Employment Record Demonstration Project
Exploration
This grant supports Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in launching a pooled funding initiative that will seed up to eight pilot projects to demonstrate the use of digital Learning and Employment Records (LERs). Funded projects will explore how LERs can support upward mobility by giving learners tools to collect, validate, and communicate their learning and work experiences.
Leveraging NCAN Members to Increase Success for Incarcerated Learners
Exploration
This grant supports the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) in developing technical assistance for its members tailored to postsecondary education in prison. With its support, more NCAN members will partner with postsecondary education in prison programs to deliver supportive services to incarcerated learners.
Aligning Employment and Education Systems for the Success of Low-Income Working Adult Learners: The Achieve Your Degree Program
Validation
This grant supports The RAND Corporation in studying the design and outcomes of Ivy Tech Community College's statewide Achieve Your Degree program, which helps working learners earn skills needed to advance in their jobs through employer tuition assistance and dedicated academic and non-academic supports.
Launching Civic Sector Apprenticeships in Rural Communities
Exploration
This grant supports the Council of State Governments and the Urban Institute in working with state and local governments and public sector employers in Maine and Idaho to implement apprenticeship programs targeted to learners from low-income backgrounds. New apprenticeships will provide paid training and onramps to good civic sector jobs that are currently experiencing a shortage of qualified workers in rural communities.
