$58 Million+ in New Grants Highlighted by Investments in Community Colleges, Sectoral Training, and More

Ascendium has approved over $58 million in grants to enhance postsecondary education and workforce training for learners from low-income backgrounds. The funding supports community college workforce initiatives, strengthens institutional capacities, backs high-quality sectoral training programs, promotes evidence-based practices, and expands postsecondary education in prison. These investments target the removal of structural barriers and fostering of equitable opportunities for student success.

Investments to help community colleges meet workforce needs.

• A grant to the Michigan Community College Association (MCCA) supports MCCA and the Ohio Association of Community Colleges (OACC) in providing technical assistance to community colleges addressing economic development opportunities in the Upper Midwest. By working together and teaming up with national experts, MCCA and OACC will develop specific strategies to help students succeed and meet the region's workforce needs.
• A grant to New America supports the development of a cohort of community colleges and districts across 10 regional sites in the National Science Foundation's Regional Innovation Engines Program. This initiative strengthens ties between education and industry, ensuring that learners gain skills aligned with market needs.
• A grant to the Texas Success Center supports the organization in designing and implementing scalable student support systems to align with Texas’ new funding model (HB8), which prioritizes completion rates and labor market outcomes.
• A grant to Aspen Institute focuses on improving board leadership in community colleges, with an emphasis on comprehensive student success reforms. This grant also supports the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, which recognizes top-performing colleges and provides insights about their high and continuously improving levels of student success to inform curricula and training for college leaders

Investments to strengthen institutional capacities to better serve learners.

• A grant to the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) supports NASPA in providing technical assistance to 60 colleges and universities through its Center for First-Generation Student Success. The Center will help institutions define "first-generation college students" and develop data systems to assess how well programs serve them.
• A grant to Georgia State University’s National Institute for Student Success (NISS) aims to replicate the university's success in improving student outcomes and closing equity gaps at six public institutions in Georgia. This initiative will focus on redesigning advising and support services and leveraging technology to enhance these improvements.

Investments to support high-quality sectoral training programs.

• A grant to Merit America supports the organization in serving 20,000 learners over five years through new sectoral training pathways in fields such as semiconductor manufacturing, clean energy, climate, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.
• A grant to NPower supports the expansion of technology sector workforce training programs. NPower will partner with institutions to support learners, increase alumni engagement for continued education and career persistence, and launch a new full-stack developer training program for women from underrepresented communities.
• A grant to MDRC supports the organization in implementing a grantmaking initiative to build evidence on nonprofit-led sectoral training programs, focusing on identifying the key elements needed to deliver and scale effective programs.

Investments to improve educational outcomes and workforce development.

• A grant to University of California, Irvine will assess the impact of college-based career service engagement on learners' academic and labor market success. The university will also test a tool designed to increase student participation in these services.
• A grant to the Communities Foundation of Texas helps the Texas Transfer Alliance enhance infrastructure for institutional partnerships, data collection, and leadership accountability. This effort aligns with new incentives for student transfers and seeks to create stronger connections within the state's decentralized education system.
• A grant to the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy encourages state agencies in Maryland to adopt evidence-based workforce training and postsecondary programs, such as the Accelerated Study in Associate Program (ASAP), Accelerate, Complete, Engage (ACE), and Per Scholas. Ascendium's funding will help the Coalition educate policymakers about these programs, connect them with the right partners for implementation, and assist the state in leveraging $20 million from Arnold Ventures and $20 million committed by the state to implement these initiatives in public education and training systems.

Investments to expand postsecondary education in prison.

• A grant to Healthy Routines supports Historically Black Colleges and Universities in South Carolina in establishing pathways and expanding access to postsecondary education opportunities for incarcerated learners. This initiative responds to a call from the South Carolina Department of Corrections for institutions to expand their offerings in most state facilities.
• A grant to Ithaka S+R supports the organization in building data collection infrastructure at institutions and with state Departments of Corrections (DOCs). This project aims to standardize data requirements and definitions, piloting a tool for reporting necessary data to DOCs. The Vera Institute of Justice is also involved, helping DOCs develop standards and processes for making "Best Interest Determinations" as required by new Pell Grant regulations.

"The approval by Ascendium's board of directors of this docket of grants — one of our largest ever — underscores our commitment, along with that of our grantee partners, to improving the lives of learners from low-income backgrounds," says Keith Witham, vice president, education grantmaking. "By addressing persistent systemic barriers, strengthening the capacity of critical sectors in postsecondary institutions, and promoting promising workforce training models, these grantees' efforts will help create a more promising economic future for many."