All Grants

This grant supports Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison Inc in expanding its programming to more students transitioning from in-prison to free-world postsecondary education. It will also enable Hudson Link to engage in a formative evaluation to improve its services and share lessons learned with other program operators.

This grant supports MDRC in engaging in a continuous cycle of rigorous research, active dissemination and hands-on technical assistance that builds the capacity of colleges and workforce training providers to improve outcomes for learners from low-income backgrounds.

This grant supports The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program in supporting a cohort of 10 community colleges to implement policy and practice reforms that will increase the postgraduation success of their students, namely students of color and learners from low-income backgrounds.

This grant supports Jobs for the Future (JFF) in working with postsecondary system leaders in Washington and North Carolina to implement comprehensive statewide student success reforms. With JFF’s support, system leaders in North Carolina will develop statewide strategies for rural education and training aligned to future workforce needs. System leaders in Washington will design a statewide student advising platform to improve accountability and compliance with state requirements for community colleges.

This grant supports the Jesuit Prison Education Network (JPEN), a nationwide coalition of Jesuit colleges, in developing best practices and sharing resources to strengthen postsecondary education in prison programs across the network. JPEN and its research center, the Jesuit Social Research Institute, will strengthen the capacity of member programs to evaluate their programs and build capacity for continuous improvement.

This grant supports Work Shift News, a project of Open Campus Media, in continuing and expanding its reporting focused on trends, opportunities, and challenges in postsecondary education and workforce training.

This grant supports The Education Trust in delivering a fellowship program focused on building a cohort of formerly incarcerated college graduates who can serve as field leaders and are equipped to inform and strengthen policy and research regarding postsecondary education in prison.

This grant supports Open Campus Media in continuing and expanding its reporting focused on postsecondary education and workforce training issues impacting learner populations at the core of Ascendium’s philanthropic mission including incarcerated learners and rural learners from low-income backgrounds.

This grant supports Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in launching a pooled funding initiative that will seed up to eight pilot projects to demonstrate the use of digital Learning and Employment Records (LERs). Funded projects will explore how LERs can support upward mobility by giving learners tools to collect, validate, and communicate their learning and work experiences.

This grant supports Education Design Lab in strengthening the ability of colleges and states to better meet the needs of learners from low-income backgrounds — especially adult, parent, and working learners — through high-quality, workforce aligned training pathways. Grant-funded projects will specifically focus on strengthening capacity in rural community colleges to design and implement new pathways.