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EDUCATION PHILANTHROPY DIVISION OF ASCENDIUM EDUCATION GROUP

New Grant Opportunity Available Now!
Now accepting action-oriented research projects for Building Evidence to Increase Rural Learner Success.
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Support Rural Postsecondary Education and Workforce Training

Our philanthropy elevates rural postsecondary education and workforce training, long absent from education reform efforts.

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How We See the Problem

Disparities in postsecondary success between rural students and their urban and suburban peers exist at every point in the pipeline, from enrollment to completion. These disparities contribute to a shortage of skilled, qualified workers, which affects the economic health of both families and entire communities.

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A Guide for Research on Rural Postsecondary Education

One of our investment priorities is to support research to better understand rural learners and postsecondary providers. As part of our work in this area, we partnered with Sova to convene a diverse group of researchers and organizations to develop a national rural postsecondary research agenda. This research agenda lays the groundwork for applied research collaborations that will generate knowledge to help practitioners and policymakers remove systemic barriers faced by rural learners, particularly those from low-income backgrounds.

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Building Evidence to Increase Rural Learner Success

Ascendium is committed to advancing evidence-based research that supports equitable improvements in postsecondary education and workforce outcomes for rural learners. Through this grant opportunity, we will invest in research that generates actionable knowledge, yields evidence-based insights and supports practitioners and policymakers in scaling effective approaches to removing systemic barriers uniquely faced by rural learners.

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Ascendium's Approach

An investment priority to...

Better understand rural learners and postsecondary providers through high-quality research

Means we support...

  • Providing resources and opportunities for applied research collaboration between researchers, employers, funders and postsecondary education providers
  • Increasing rural postsecondary provider ability to gather, analyze and use data and data systems

Which will lead to...

  • Identifying, completing and disseminating applied research that supports rural learners through their postsecondary education experience and entry into the workforce
  • Generating new knowledge about the impact of diverse education and training delivery models administered through and with postsecondary education providers
  • Supporting data infrastructure for cross-system data sharing, tracking and reporting among postsecondary providers

An investment priority to...

Build the capacity of rural postsecondary providers to support learners through their postsecondary experience and entry to the workforce

Means we support...

  • Expanding job training models in high-demand fields for learners in rural communities
  • Scaling effective institutional practices and policies that support learners completing degrees or credentials in a timely manner
  • Supporting professional development for student-centered postsecondary leaders in various roles

Which will lead to...

  • Rural learners having the education and skills needed to transition to meaningful jobs in their communities and chosen careers
  • Increasing postsecondary education providers’ capacity to refine their operations to implement evidence-based practices that support academic success

An investment priority to...

Catalyze investment in and support for rural learners and providers through partnerships

Means we support...

  • Facilitating strong connections between postsecondary education providers and employers to offer high-quality postsecondary opportunities and pathways to employment
  • Communities of practice, including regional and national networks to solidify relationships between postsecondary education systems, key stakeholders and employers

Which will lead to...

  • Partnerships at the systems level that are based on postsecondary and career success to increase peer learning, network building, and best-practice sharing that highlights promising models among practitioners and partners

Grants to Support Rural Postsecondary Education and Workforce Training

To learn about our approach to grantmaking (Exploration, Validation, Scaling), visit our How We Fund page.

Catalyzing Rural Community Colleges Through a Design Challenge

Exploration
Education Design Lab|$1,996,925|4/2020 - 6/2023
This grant supports Education Design Lab in executing a three-year design challenge to develop and pilot new solutions to the question: “How might we improve the ability of rural community colleges to be a critical engine (or catalyst) of growth in their local communities?” Education Design Lab will partner with five rural community colleges to collaboratively structure, design and evaluate new programs.

Leveraging Arkansas Community Colleges to Support Economic Development

Exploration
Local Initiatives Support Corporation |$240,000|12/2021 - 5/2023
This grant supports Rural Local Initiatives Support Corporation in providing technical assistance to the Arkansas Association of Community Colleges to help their 22 institutions statewide serve as leaders for regional workforce development partnerships.

Building Pathways to Quality Jobs and Financial Security in Rural America

Scaling
Local Initiatives Support Corporation |$1,302,077|5/2020 - 5/2023
This grant supports 11 communities in the Local Initiatives Support Corporation’s Rural Works initiative, a national network of workforce intermediaries committed to modernizing and redeveloping pathways from postsecondary education and training to employment.

Researching and Awarding Excellence in Rural Community Colleges

Scaling
The Aspen Institute Inc|$2,624,131|5/2020 - 4/2023
The grant supports the Aspen Institute in researching and awarding the 2021 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence and the development of a new suite of curricular resources to advance student success at rural community colleges.

Facilitating Career Pathways for Low-Income Rural Students: Cooperative Extension as a Community Connector

Exploration
Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities|$389,100|12/2020 - 3/2023
This grant supports the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities in building, piloting and evaluating a Rural Workforce Engagement Model that engages Cooperative Extension professionals in identifying and addressing the needs of low-income workers and employers in rural communities.

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Research Capacity Building Initiative

Scaling
APIA Scholars|$500,000|5/2021 - 12/2022
This grant supports the Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund in building the capacity of rural Pacific Island postsecondary institutions to analyze data and use collaborative research strategies to improve their policies and practices. The initiative will increase Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander student success by developing pathways that lead to workforce participation through partnerships and institutional innovation.

Launching West Virginia Climbs

Exploration
Philanthropy West Virginia|$750,000|6/2020 - 12/2022
This grant supports Philanthropy West Virginia’s efforts in building the infrastructure of West Virginia Climbs, a new public awareness and programming campaign aimed at increasing the state’s postsecondary educational attainment rate to at least 60 percent by 2030. The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and other partners will support the implementation activities needed to complete five activities targeted at supporting learners from low-income backgrounds.

Institutional Transformation in Puerto Rico: Lessons Learned in Resiliency

Validation
Excelencia in Education Inc|$399,700|10/2020 - 10/2022
This grant supports Excelencia in Education in identifying strategies that can support institutional resiliency and promote student success for rural, Latinx learners in the midst of natural disasters and crises. Excelencia will engage rural postsecondary institutions in Puerto Rico, which has experienced multiple natural disasters in recent years, and develop a report and accompanying case studies highlighting lessons learned in supporting access, retention and success for rural learners.

Researching Place-based Learning Experiences' Impact on Rural Postsecondary Learners

Validation
University of Montana|$136,777|6/2020 - 7/2022
This grant supports the University of Montana in researching the impact of place-based learning at postsecondary institutions on student outcomes and achievement. Building on promising research in secondary systems, rural place-based learning focuses on integrating local and regional cultures, history and resources into school programming in an effort to promote student success and engagement.

Landscape Scan on the Role of Intermediaries in Rural Communities

Exploration
Education First |$150,000|12/2021 - 7/2022
This grant supports Education First in completing a landscape scan to identify intermediaries positioned to serve learners from low-income backgrounds across geographies, with a special focus on identifying providers in rural communities.
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Latest News

September 22, 2022

New COVID-19 Transfer Data Findings, the Impact of Media Grant Partners on Inequity and More

  • COVID-19 Transfer Data Reveals Trends that Can Inform Equity and Student Success Policies
  • Engaging with Media Showcases Grant Partners’ Positive Impact on Inequity
  • Are You Interested in a Student-Centered Partnership?
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September 08, 2022

Special Edition: New Rural Grant Opportunity Available and More

  • New Grant Opportunity Available: Building Evidence to Increase Rural Learner Success
  • Program Officer Perspectives: Kirstin Yeado Reflects on Rural Guided Pathways Work
  • Data Tools Help Stakeholders Identify and Support Rural and Rural Serving Institutions
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Resources

Categorization of Place-based, Postsecondary Learning Experiences for Rural Students

Place-based learning is an outside-the-box approach to curriculum design. It integrates local and regional cultures, history and resources into educational curricula, making it a good fit for rural learners. It encourages them to be more engaged in postsecondary education by making it relevant to their lives and their communities. This resource includes case study profiles of rural institutions and how they utilize place-based learning programs.

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Diving Into Place-Based Education Programs (Part VI)

The final installment in a six-part series, this Rural Matters podcast episode highlights place-based education programs, particularly how they can benefit rural learners and communities. Place-based learning involves engaging the community, which can help make college learning more accessible, relevant and motivating to first-generation learners and learners from low-income backgrounds.

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Kirstin
Yeado

Program Officer,
Support Rural Postsecondary and Workforce Training

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