Awarded Grants

This grant supports the Texas Community College Education Initiative in aligning pathways from English as a Second Language (ESL) programs to community college credentials, including industry-based certifications, vocational certificates, and academic degrees. Texas community colleges will address placement and curricular structures that have been barriers to success for multilingual learners of English seeking to transition from ESL to workforce training or academic programs.

This grant supports Social Finance in piloting innovative workforce training financing models to improve labor market outcomes for learners from low-income backgrounds. Social Finance will design models leveraging outcomes-based funding structures in two areas: (1) to support learners in accessing and succeeding in pre-apprenticeships and (2) to catalyze training programs within specific industry sectors critical to rural workforce needs. Social Finance will also launch the Social Finance Institute as a hub for dissemination of insights from these and other initiatives, with a focus on informing public and private leaders about strategies to build sustainable and inclusive talent development pipelines.

This grant supports the Council of Independent Colleges in partnering with 25 member institutions to develop and evaluate employer-driven work-based learning projects embedded in courses. It aims to eliminate barriers to professional opportunities for learners from low-income backgrounds and improve their post-graduation career outcomes.

This grant supports a pooled funding initiative seeking to change the odds of young people living in poverty by directing long-term, substantial resources to organizations with proven impact.

This grant supports Lead for America in designing and embedding workforce-aligned credentials into its national service program, which provides rural learners with a year-long curriculum and on-the-job experiences in digitally-focused jobs in the social sector. The project will expand Lead for America's program by more than doubling the number of rural learners from low-income backgrounds completing the service year and earning credentials.

This grant supports the Foundation for California Community Colleges in exploring the implementation of shortened academic terms at scale to improve learner persistence and completion outcomes.

This grant supports Community College Research Initiatives at the University of Washington in addressing the shortage of STEM transfer students from low-income backgrounds by enhancing inter-institutional transfer partnerships in Washington state.

This grant supports Coalfield Development Corporation in addressing generational poverty in Appalachia by providing pathways to socioeconomic well-being for learners and workers in distressed rural regions. With a focus on replicating Coalfield Development's successful micro-credential workforce development models, the organization will expand training, certification, and employment opportunities for low-income individuals across the region.

This grant supports Vermont Youth Conservation Corps in offering affordable work-based learning opportunities for diverse learners from low-income backgrounds through its Serve Learn Earn program.

This grant supports the Texas Success Center in developing and implementing holistic basic needs and support services at Texas community colleges. This statewide initiative aims to help colleges strengthen supports for learners to ensure they complete credential of values in alignment with the state’s new funding model established by House Bill 8.