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Ascendium Education Philanthropy is a division of Ascendium Education Group.

Media Partnerships

Our philanthropy amplifies important information across the nation, helping good ideas become systemic change for learners from low-income backgrounds.

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WHY MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS?

High-quality reporting and storytelling are vital for investigating, proposing, and disseminating systemic solutions to challenges faced by learners from low-income backgrounds. When media highlight problems alongside evidence-based solutions, successful practices have the potential to scale up. Media amplification can also encourage individual policymakers, communities, and government agencies to address critical issues in improving postsecondary education and workforce training outcomes. By framing and amplifying the issues critical to improving postsecondary education and workforce training outcomes, media partners get important information in front of those who can advocate for and make real, systemic change.

Learn more about how our media partnerships support learners from low-income backgrounds.

Supporting National Reporting on Postsecondary Education in Prison and Rural Postsecondary Education and Workforce Training

Field Development
Open Campus Media Inc|$850,000|11/2023 - 10/2025
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.

Transformation of the Postsecondary Landscape

Field Development
Education Design Lab|$5,478,600|11/2023 - 10/2025
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 and Workforce Training

Field Development
Teachers College, Columbia University|$450,000|8/2023 - 8/2025
This grant supports The Hechinger Report (Hechinger), a publication of the Teachers College at Columbia University, in producing high-quality reporting on emerging trends, challenges, and promising solutions in postsecondary education and workforce training. While continuing to distribute content through its primary website and newsletter outlets, Hechinger will broaden its reach via social media and by partnering with 200+ national news outlets.

Bolstering the Impact of "The Class" Documentary

Field Development
Senior Class Project LLC|$150,000|6/2024 - 5/2025
This grant supports Senior Class Project, LLC, in expanding the national reach and impact of its docuseries, The Class. The Class showcases the journey of six students to postsecondary education and highlights how they overcome challenges in pursuing a college degree.

A Profile of Low-Income Undergraduates in the United States

Field Development
Research Triangle Institute|$419,914|3/2022 - 4/2025
This grant supports Research Triangle Institute in providing current and historical statistics defining low-income individuals and describing their demographic characteristics, postsecondary progress and success and labor force outcomes.

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.
View All Ascendium Grants