Awarded Grants

This grant supports MDRC in implementing a grantmaking initiative to build evidence on nonprofit-led sectoral training programs. The initiative will focus on identifying program elements and mechanisms needed to deliver and scale effective programs.

This grant supports American Institutes for Research in evaluating the impact of competency-based education programs – degree programs designed around self-paced demonstration of specific competencies or skills – on learners’ completion outcomes and labor market success.

This grant supports the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership and Building Industry Group Skilled Trades Employment Program (WRTP|BIG STEP) in expanding apprenticeship pathways and creating training and resources across a variety of sectors to benefit learners from low income backgrounds and develop Wisconsin's future workforce.

This grant supports the Universities of Wisconsin (UW) System in planning and launching a pilot of the Wisconsin Forward Pledge, an initiative combining financial, academic, and nonacademic supports for learners from low-income backgrounds to ensure their access, persistence, and success. As part of this initiative, the UW System will evaluate which components of support have the greatest impact on learner outcomes, helping to refine the impact and cost-effectiveness of the pledge initiative for future years.

This grants supports Achieving the Dream in helping up to 16 community colleges across four states implement shortened academic term structures through tailored technical assistance and peer learning. A paired independent evaluation will monitor progress, assess student outcomes, and identify conditions for broader scale.

This grant supports Minneapolis Community and Technical College in partnering with Metropolitan State University to establish the Minnesota Center for Higher Education in Prison (MN-CHEP) and strengthen the Transformation and Reentry through Education and Community (TREC) initiative. MN-CHEP will serve as a hub for technical assistance to postsecondary education in prison programs in the Upper Midwest and the TREC initiative will connect degree-granting programs with reentry service providers supporting formerly incarcerated learners.

This grant supports Strada Institute for the Future of Work in studying the impacts of postsecondary education in prison programs on returning citizens’ employment and earnings outcomes. Examining a variety of programs in Ohio, the mixed-methods study will identify shared features of these programs that consistently yield favorable labor market outcomes for participants.

This grant supports the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges in helping five states develop and implement plans for improving rural talent development. Supported by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association and HCM Strategists, state-level higher education leaders will work with rural-serving institutions and local communities to expand middle-skill, workforce-aligned pathways for rural learners statewide.

This grant supports the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) in catalyzing collaboration across and within its six New England member states to increase the quantity and quality of postsecondary education offerings in prison. As the first regional prison education collaborative, NEBHE will serve as a convener, technical assistance provider, research hub, and funder for the participating states.

This grant supports Mathematica in conducting an evaluation that supports iterative program improvements of Tools of the Trade scholarship to maximize the difference the scholarship makes for Wisconsin apprentices seeking upward mobility.