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Ascendium Education Philanthropy is a division of Ascendium Education Group.

Awarded Grants

The grants we award advance our core strategies to Expand Opportunity, Support Learner Success, and Connect and Align Systems. They also promote field support and development efforts across strategies.

Strategies

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Assessing Employment Outcomes for Learners Participating in Postsecondary Education in Prison Programs

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Strada Education Foundation Inc|$3,000,000|2/2025 - 1/2029
This grant supports Strada Institute for the Future of Work in studying the impacts of postsecondary education in prison programs on returning citizens’ employment and earnings outcomes. Examining a variety of programs in Ohio, the mixed-methods study will identify shared features of these programs that consistently yield favorable labor market outcomes for participants.

Fostering State Leadership for Rural Talent Development

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Appalachian State University|$7,245,600|2/2025 - 1/2029
This grant supports the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges in helping five states develop and implement plans for improving rural talent development. Supported by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association and HCM Strategists, state-level higher education leaders will work with rural-serving institutions and local communities to expand middle-skill, workforce-aligned pathways for rural learners statewide.

Understanding How Incarcerated Learners Experience Developmental Education Reforms

Support
Research for Action Inc|$1,050,000|2/2025 - 6/2027
This grant supports Research for Action in understanding the implications of developmental education reform on incarcerated learners' postsecondary opportunities and outcomes.

Preparing for Pell Grant Eligibility for Incarcerated Learners

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National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators|$1,506,900|2/2025 - 5/2026
This grant supports the National Association of Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) in providing technical support to colleges and universities working to become approved Prison Education Programs (PEPs). NASFAA will also convene intermediaries doing complementary work, so that PEP programs have more resources to effectively enroll and support incarcerated learners.

Advancing Better Future Forward’s Scalable and Equitable Alternative Student Financing Model

Support
Better Future Forward|$700,000|2/2025 - 3/2026
This grant will support Better Future Forward (BFF) in assessing its program effectiveness and the outcomes of the learners it serves. By deploying a survey of learners accessing its income-share agreement (ISA), gathering high-quality career outcomes data on its learners, improving servicing processes to increase compliance rates, and establishing a community of practice of ISA providers, BFF will contribute to improvements in outcomes-based lending practices.

Supporting High Quality Journalism on Postsecondary Education Solutions

Field Development
Education Writers Association|$350,000|2/2025 - 1/2026
This grant supports Education Writers Association in enhancing small independent outlets’ capacity to report on postsecondary issues while providing training and opportunities for journalists across the country to cover local, rural, and national stories related to postsecondary education and workforce training.

Symposium for CAOs and CIOs: Collaborations for Innovative Student Success

Field Development
American Association of State Colleges and Universities|$50,000|1/2025 - 3/2025
This grant supports the Association of State Colleges and Universities in convening chief academic officers and chief information officers to share promising practices focused on the use of data and technology to advance student success.

Expanding Registered Apprenticeships and the Role of Community Colleges

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Association of Community College Trustees |$2,015,040|12/2024 - 11/2028
This grant supports the Association of Community College Trustees in developing new Registered Apprenticeship (RA) programs at community colleges in occupational sectors that have not traditionally used apprenticeship as a training pathway. Twenty community colleges will engage in designing and implementing new RA programs, demonstrating the potential for community colleges to serve as RA intermediaries in addition to instructional providers.

Strengthening National Service as a Pathway to Workforce Development and Economic Mobility in Rural Communities

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National Lead for America Inc|$2,550,000|12/2024 - 11/2027
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.

Identifying and Scaling Programmatic Technical Assistance Resources in Higher Education in Prison

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Emerson College|$324,200|12/2024 - 12/2026
This grant supports Emerson College in refining and packaging a suite of resources aimed at program implementation and continuous improvement. These resources contribute to the field by illustrating high-impact practices in program implementation and provide program benchmarks that other programs can adapt and replicate.