Our North Star
Learning after high school, whether through postsecondary education or workforce training, provides the surest path to a well-paying and rewarding career. But that path isn’t always clear for those who need it most.
We envision a world where more low-income learners succeed in postsecondary education and workforce training as a path to upward mobility, regardless of race, rurality, history of incarceration, or other factors.We call this vision our North Star. It guides our grantmaking and directs our focus on removing the systemic barriers that disproportionately impact learners from low-income backgrounds.
Our Strategies
Our grantmaking is driven by three core strategies that aim to transform postsecondary education and workforce systems to better serve learners from low-income backgrounds.
News and Insights
Ascendium Awards Grants to Scale Evidence-Informed Shortened Course Formats
Two new grants to Achieving the Dream and Community College Research Center will scale evidence-informed shortened academic term models across four states. These grants serve as a direct response to the field’s demand for implementing shortened academic terms and continue an active area of grantmaking at Ascendium on both the implementation and research sides.
