Building Pathways to Rural and Tribal Employment
Exploration
American Indian College Fund|$2,500,000|12/2023 - 6/2028
This grant supports the American Indian College Fund in supporting tribal colleges and universities to implement intentional career development programming that will prepare American Indian and Alaska Native learners from low-income backgrounds for, and connect them with, good jobs in their regions.
Expanding Rural Guided Pathways
Scaling
New Venture Fund|$4,200,000|10/2024 - 12/2027
This grant supports the National Center for Inquiry and Improvement in expanding comprehensive “guided pathways” student success reforms at rural community colleges. The expansion will support the existing cohort of 16 colleges in strengthening their reform efforts and add a cohort of 16 additional rural colleges.
Strengthening National Service as a Pathway to Workforce Development and Economic Mobility in Rural Communities
Exploration
National Lead for America Inc|$2,250,000|12/2024 - 11/2027
This grant supports Lead for America in designing and embedding workforce-aligned credentials into its national service program, which provides rural learners with a year-long curriculum and on-the-job experiences in digitally-focused jobs in the social sector. The project will expand Lead for America's program by more than doubling the number of rural learners from low-income backgrounds completing the service year and earning credentials.
Providing Work-Based Learning Opportunities through Serve-Learn-Earn Vermont
Exploration
Vermont Youth Conservation Corps Inc|$1,800,000|11/2024 - 10/2027
This grant supports Vermont Youth Conservation Corps in offering affordable work-based learning opportunities for diverse learners from low-income backgrounds through its Serve Learn Earn program.
Rural Appalachian Workforce Development and Postsecondary Pathways Project
Scaling
Coalfield Development Corporation|$2,000,000|11/2024 - 10/2027
This grant supports Coalfield Development Corporation in addressing generational poverty in Appalachia by providing pathways to socioeconomic well-being for learners and workers in distressed rural regions. With a focus on replicating Coalfield Development's successful micro-credential workforce development models, the organization will expand training, certification, and employment opportunities for low-income individuals across the region.
Building Rural Community Learning Systems: Education to Employment Partnerships
Exploration
Columbus Learning Center Management Corporation|$1,600,000|3/2024 - 12/2026
This grant supports CivicLab, a project of the Columbus Learning Center Management Corporation, in developing education-to-employment partnerships in 10 rural communities. CivicLab will support rural postsecondary education and workforce training providers and employers to partner in developing and implementing plans to strengthen talent development ecosystems so that rural learners have paths to good jobs in their communities.
Powering Good Climate and Infrastructure Careers For All
Scaling
The Families and Workers Fund|$2,500,000|11/2023 - 10/2026
This grant supports the Families and Workers Fund in investing strategically in career training aligned with workforce demands generated by federal investment in green energy and infrastructure. The Fund will support projects specifically aimed at promoting the upward mobility of individuals in rural communities by building opportunity for high-quality workforce training paired with supports to help learners and workers from low-income backgrounds succeed in accessing and completing that training.
Implementing the Opportunity Accelerator Program to Expand Postsecondary Pathways for Rural Learners
Exploration
Goodwill Industries International Inc|$2,000,000|8/2023 - 7/2026
This grant supports Goodwill Industries International in expanding its Opportunity Accelerator framework to serve eight rural communities. Local Goodwill centers will develop new training pathways aligned to labor market needs in their regions, providing low-income young adults with training and support to attain jobs that pay a living wage.
Rural Regional Talent Networks (R-RTN) Cohort 2 Implementation
Exploration
Economic Mobility Systems Inc|$1,080,000|11/2023 - 6/2026
This grant supports Economic Mobility Systems in expanding the Rural Regional Talent Network (R-RTN) model to three additional rural communities in Texas. The grant will support the creation of new partnerships between K-12, community colleges, and employers focused on using data to align policy and practice across sectors in order to ensure rural learners are accessing and completing high-quality training that leads to in-demand jobs.
Rural Research Support Partner
Exploration
American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences|$569,827|4/2022 - 6/2026
This multi-year, Ascendium-led grant supports American Institutes for Research in managing Ascendium’s multi-year research initiative to support action-oriented research aimed at addressing critical gaps in the evidence available to inform scaled and sustained improvements in the postsecondary and workforce outcomes of low-income learners in rural geographies.
