News

Share Your Thoughts, Results from National Postsecondary Education in Prison Programs Survey and New Follow-up Reports for Rural Matters Podcasts

• Share Your Thoughts With Us!
• The Expanding Role of Colleges in Prison Education
• New Tools to Understand and Better Serve Those with Some College, No Degree

Ascendium Grant Will Help Close Equity Gaps

Ascendium has awarded a grant from its $10 million Maintain Momentum for Student Success Initiative to the Wisconsin Technical College System to continue its reform efforts and keep each technical college engaged.

Supporting What Works: Building Evidence on the Community College Baccalaureate

Community college baccalaureates have grown over the past three decades. A new research project will focus on how these degrees affect equity and access in baccalaureate attainment and connections to the labor market.

New Grants Awarded, Pell Grant Ban for Incarcerated Learners Lifted and Several New Key Resources Published

• Ascendium Invests $16.2 Million in Degree Persistence, Health Pathways, Digital Career Growth
• Groundbreaking New National Directory of Higher Education in Prison Programs Released
• Additional Maintain Momentum Grants Benefit Organizations Serving Learners from Low-Income Backgrounds

Additional Maintain Momentum Grants Benefit Organizations Serving Learners from Low-Income Backgrounds

Two more organizations recently received grants from Ascendium’s $10 million Maintain Momentum for Student Success Initiative and two previous grantees share how the funds have helped them stay engaged with their members amid the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ascendium Invests $16.2 Million in Degree Persistence, Health Pathways, Sustainable Digital Careers and More

Ascendium’s Board of Directors has approved funding for 19 new grants totaling more than $16.2 million. This includes a wide range of efforts aimed at improving education and career outcomes for postsecondary learners from low-income backgrounds, especially first-generation learners, veterans, incarcerated learners, rural community members and learners of color.

New Postsecondary Education in Prison Resources, Welcome Bethany Miller and Our 2020 Support of Our Community

• Best Practices for Postsecondary Education in Prison Programs Released by Vera Institute of Justice
• COVID-19 Crisis and Transfer: What Institutions, Systems and States Can Do Today
• Bethany Miller Joins the Education Grantmaking Team

Giving Support to Our Local Community Throughout 2020

The extraordinary events of 2020 brought many challenges to all our communities. While our national philanthropy is focused on the power of education and training beyond high school to transform the lives of learners from low-income backgrounds, Ascendium recognized the need to be flexible and responsive in this time of crisis. As a result, we stepped up our local giving to help address this year’s challenges. Learn more about how we supported several local community organizations this year.

Kentucky College System Mounts Effort to Close Gap Between Education and Work

With support from Ascendium, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System Foundation is launching a yearlong planning project to research what it would take to implement a competency-based education platform at scale within its general education, career, technical and workforce training programs.

Training for Online Math Teaching, a New Rural Podcast Series and New Resources

• College Math Instructors Praise Timely Training for Online Teaching
• Vera Institute of Justice Works to Develop Guidelines and Supports for Postsecondary Education in Prison
• Podcasts Raise Up Leaders in Rural Places