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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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Phase II of Developmental Education Reform Implementation in Illinois

Support
Partnership for College Completion|$1,100,000|2/2026 - 1/2029
This grant supports Partnership for College Completion in scaling evidence-based placement and co-requisite models at Illinois community colleges.

Success Coach Program

Support
Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network|$725,000|2/2026 - 1/2029
This grant supports The Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network in creating and piloting a success coach model at two higher education in prison programs, providing peer support and coaching strategies to help learners continue on their path to postsecondary opportunities upon release.

America Forward: Blazing a Trail for Evidence-Based Economic Mobility Strategies

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New Venture Fund|$749,500|2/2026 - 12/2027
This grant supports America Forward in conducting research, providing technical assistance, and designing strategic convenings to accelerate public investment in evidence based sectoral workforce training programs. America Forward will partner with leading providers to identify barriers and build providers’ capacities to access public funding streams.

Improving Coverage of Post-Secondary Education and Workforce Development for Rural Communities

Field Development
Institute for Nonprofit News|$400,000|2/2026 - 12/2027
This grant supports the Institute for Nonprofit News in partnering with rural newsrooms to produce a two-year collaborative series focused on education and workforce development issues and to identify and execute proven strategies for building audiences in rural communities.

Coordinating and Strengthening Technical Assistance in the Field of PEP

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American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences|$10,336,000|12/2025 - 11/2030
This grant supports the American Institutes for Research in fortifying a comprehensive foundation of technical assistance resources and providers for the field of postsecondary education in prison. This infrastructure will provide colleges the support they need in order to design, implement, and continuously improve postsecondary degree programs tailored to incarcerated students.

An Applied Research Agenda to Support Community College Reform and Learner Advancement

Field Development
Teachers College, Columbia University|$10,000,000|12/2025 - 12/2029
This grant supports Community College Research Center in deepening the evidence base on a range of student success reform areas and partnering with community colleges to use research as a tool to strengthen their programs and services, increase efficiency, and improve student outcomes.

Getting Dual Credit Right: Reducing Credit Loss, Increasing Bachelor’s Completion

Connect
Communities Foundation of Texas Inc|$2,500,000|12/2025 - 11/2028
This grant supports Communities Foundation of Texas and partners Educate Texas and Sova (collectively, the Texas Transfer Alliance) in creating educational pathways from high school dual enrollment to bachelor’s granting institutions in high-demand fields.

Leveraging Technical Assistance Across the PEP Student Continuum

Support
Tennessee Higher Education Initiative Inc|$3,661,000|12/2025 - 11/2028
This grant supports Tennessee Higher Education Initiative in developing and disseminating, nationally, resources designed to help colleges better support incarcerated learners with college preparation, academic advising, and reentry supports.

Delivering Expert Reporting on Rural and Prison Workforce Training and Postsecondary Education

Field Development
Open Campus Media Inc|$750,000|12/2025 - 11/2027
This grant supports Open Campus in producing newsletters focused on postsecondary education for rural and justice-impacted learners and fostering deep engagement around these topics. Further, funding will support Open Campus in building the capacity of local networks to produce high-quality, state-based reporting on rural workforce development.

Expanding Reporting, Shaping the Future: Investing in Journalism that Advances Economic Opportunity (WorkShift / The Job)

Field Development
Work Shift|$750,000|12/2025 - 11/2027
This grant supports Work Shift in publishing weekly digital content covering apprenticeships, community college-led opportunity hubs, and state policy and funding innovation. As part of this work and important to its strategy, Work Shift will engage with targeted decision makers through outreach and speaking engagements and raise the quality of news through local reporting fellowships.