Ascendium's Education Philanthropy

#AscendiumEP is committed to helping learners from low-income backgrounds achieve their academic and career goals.

[Ascendium's Education Philanthropy @AscendiumEP]

Fair chances open doors to education and careers. We’re pleased to sponsor EXPOnentially Correcting the Narrative: Rising Together, hosted by The Community and @expowisconsin Nov. 7 in Madison, Wisconsin, home to Ascendium’s headquarters.

Learn more: https://t.co/ALI3dewxaw

#AscendiumEP #HigherEdInPrison

[Ascendium's Education Philanthropy @AscendiumEP]

Navigating #PostsecondaryEd requires clear information about everything from financial aid to transfer. However, this information can be especially difficult to access for learners in prison.

That’s why @THEInitiativeTN have created Navigating Forward, a collection of ready-to-use resources designed to help incarcerated learners understand the college landscape, financial aid, transfer, and continuing education after release.

Access the resources here: https://t.co/tJ4aAann9Q

#SupportLearnerSuccess #AscendiumEP #HigherEdinPrison

[Ascendium's Education Philanthropy @AscendiumEP]

Apprenticeships can create pathways to in-demand careers while allowing learners to earn as they build their skills.

An article from @NewAmerica highlights how @MiraCosta is expanding #Apprenticeships across fields such as affordable housing, pharmacy, and nursing — creating opportunities for learners to earn while they build skills for their careers.

MiraCosta is advancing this work as part of the @CCTrustees’ Scaling Apprenticeship at Community Colleges Project, supported by #AscendiumEP.

Click the link to read how MiraCosta is building on existing programs and employer partnerships to expand apprenticeship opportunities. https://t.co/uHesstEeq6

#ExpandOpportunity

[Ascendium's Education Philanthropy @AscendiumEP]

“Students benefit when they can connect what they’re learning in the classroom to their career goals and see the steps they can take to reach them.” — Janice Hicks, Ascendium Strategy Director

That connection is central to CUNY Beyond. Through career-connected learning and stronger advising, @CUNY is helping students connect their education to their next steps. We’re pleased to support this work and its focus on preparing learners from low-income backgrounds for meaningful careers.

Read more in CUNY’s State of the University address: https://t.co/nBFjnO3und

#AscendiumEP

[Ascendium's Education Philanthropy @AscendiumEP]

Connecting classroom learning to career goals can help students see what’s possible and how to get there.

We’re pleased to support @CUNY's CUNY Beyond initiative as it helps faculty integrate career-connected learning into courses, helping more learners from low-income backgrounds prepare for meaningful careers.

Explore CUNY Beyond and other highlights from CUNY’s State of the University address: https://t.co/nBFjnO3und

#AscendiumEP

[Ascendium's Education Philanthropy @AscendiumEP]

#Rural adults returning to #PostsecondaryEd can face barriers that make completing a credential especially challenging.

New resources from @TICAS_org and @MDRC_News offer insights for institutions, policymakers, and other partners working to strengthen pathways back to postsecondary education. Developed through the Rural Reconnect Initiative, the suite includes an interactive data explorer, promising institutional practices, state policy strategies, and recommendations for supporting rural adult learners through reengagement and completion.

Explore the Rural Reconnect Initiative and its resources: https://t.co/sDTtw4nlBC

#SupportLearnerSuccess #AscendiumEP

[Ascendium's Education Philanthropy @AscendiumEP]

A clear goal is important. Learners also need a plan to get there.

New resources from the @CommunityCCRC explore how structured educational planning can help learners connect their coursework to completion, transfer, and career goals.

Along with a new brief, case studies from @TallyState, @swtc, and @MarionTech show how different institutions are making educational planning an integral part of the student experience.

Click the link to read the brief and case studies. https://t.co/uVul8wwo8C

#AscendiumEP #CommunityCollege #PostsecondaryEd #Support #LearnerSuccess

[Ascendium's Education Philanthropy @AscendiumEP]

For #Rural learners, access to #PostsecondaryEd can depend on more than whether a program is available online.

New research from Georgia Policy Labs at @GeorgiaStateU examines the @TCSG's eCampus initiative, which allows students to access online courses across the system while remaining enrolled at their home institution.

The findings offer insights into the potential of systemwide online course sharing — and where additional support may help more learners benefit.

Click the link to explore this research. https://t.co/asEQY5Rvih

#AscendiumEP #Support #LearnerSuccess

[Ascendium's Education Philanthropy @AscendiumEP]

How #PostsecondaryEd institutions schedule courses can affect students’ ability to make progress toward a degree.

The @AASCU recently shared 12 lessons from the first year of its Student-Centered Course Scheduling initiative, showing how institutions can better align course schedules with students’ needs.

The article also connects readers with tools and resources for using data, gathering student and faculty input, building cross-campus collaboration, and putting student-centered scheduling into practice.

Click the link to explore the lessons and resources. https://t.co/zwcDna6T9m

#AscendiumEP #Support #LearnerSuccess

[Ascendium's Education Philanthropy @AscendiumEP]

Strategy becomes systems change through collaboration.

At #GFE2026, #AscendiumEP grant partner Education Strategy Group will share how the Opportunity Alliance is working across states to better align #PostsecondaryEd and #Workforce needs.

Plan to join them on Oct. 14 and learn more about the Opportunity Alliance here: https://t.co/0GZFkO4ed9

[Ascendium's Education Philanthropy @AscendiumEP]

A credential is most valuable when it opens doors to what comes next.

New research from the @CommunityCCRC, in partnership with the @AspenHigherEd, examines how 10 community colleges are helping more students enter programs that lead to good jobs or transfer pathways to bachelor’s degrees. Early results show a 27% increase in enrollment in these high-value pathways, and even greater gains among students of color and students from lower-income backgrounds.

Click to explore what these colleges are learning about connecting programs to stronger outcomes for students. https://t.co/HxDlmklsXn

#AscendiumEP #SupportLearnerSuccess #CommunityCollege

[Ascendium's Education Philanthropy @AscendiumEP]

What happens when academic and advising support is built directly into students’ courses?

Join Ascendium’s Maggie Fay, along with Dr. Kelli Bird and Dr. Benjamin Castleman, on Oct. 14 for a virtual discussion of emerging experimental evidence on embedded tutoring and advising — and the questions it raises for future research.

Register here for this webinar, sponsored by the Council for the Study of Community Colleges: https://t.co/PcJxV9PwFM

#AscendiumEP #LearningAndImpact #SupportLearnerSuccess

[Ascendium's Education Philanthropy @AscendiumEP]

Going to #GFE2026? Join #AscendiumEP’s Terese Craig and Kirstin Yeado on Oct. 13!

🔘 12:15 p.m.-1:00 p.m.: Building sustainable emergency aid systems.
🔘 3:15 p.m.-4:30 p.m.: Building evidence to increase rural learner success.

Both conversations will explore how philanthropy can help strengthen evidence and practice.

#SupportLearnerSuccess

[Ascendium's Education Philanthropy @AscendiumEP]

Credits earned should help learners move forward — wherever their education takes them.

With support from #AscendiumEP, the New England Prison Education Collaborative has awarded four $100,000 Accelerator Grants to strengthen credit mobility for learners with a history of incarceration. The projects will create and expand transfer pathways, improve transcript evaluation, and help learners carry their progress into new educational opportunities.

Click the link to learn more about this initiative with the New England Board of Higher Education. https://t.co/vuNC4QJB5L

#Connect #AlignSystems #Transfer #CreditMobility

[Ascendium's Education Philanthropy @AscendiumEP]

New research from the @urbaninstitute and #AscendiumEP looks at lived experience among leaders and project teams at a subset of Ascendium grant partners working with learners who have a history of incarceration.

Among those surveyed, 71% reported some form of lived experience.

What does that expertise bring to the work? And how can funders learn from it responsibly?

Click the link to read more. https://t.co/jGhe4EDxyI

#HigherEdInPrison #LearningAndImpact

[Ascendium's Education Philanthropy @AscendiumEP]

Supporting justice-impacted students means thinking beyond access to college.

#AscendiumEP grant partners The Community and @ReentryCampus will take part in an Oct. 5 conference session on supporting students from enrollment through reentry. https://t.co/645IgMEuHz

#ExpandOpportunity #HigherEducation #StudentSuccess

[Ascendium's Education Philanthropy @AscendiumEP]

Durable college access pathways for justice-impacted students require coordinated partnerships.

Ascendium grant partners Western Mass CORE and @THEInitiativeTN will share cross-state lessons on Oct. 5. https://t.co/645IgMEuHz

#AscendiumEP #ExpandOpportunity #HigherEducation #CollectiveImpact

[Ascendium's Education Philanthropy @AscendiumEP]

Welcome Cedric Johnson to #AscendiumEP as our new Senior Program Officer for Local Partnerships!
He’ll lead our charitable giving and community partnerships in Madison and Milwaukee, building relationships with organizations that support learners from low-income backgrounds. https://t.co/TwXn0KEYYH

#MeetTheTeam

[Ascendium's Education Philanthropy @AscendiumEP]

📢 Applications are reopening for the Building Ready for Work Colleges and Students Learning Lab!

The application has been streamlined, and selected colleges will receive a $10,000 stipend to support their participation.

The Ready for Work Lab will bring together six community colleges in a two-year community of practice focused on adapting and implementing proven sectoral program strategies that strengthen student employment outcomes.

Participating colleges will receive:
✅ Personalized coaching from workforce development experts
✅ Support strengthening employer partnerships
✅ Tools for measuring workforce-readiness skills
✅ Guidance on tracking student employment and labor market outcomes
✅ Opportunities to learn alongside peer colleges and national advisors

📌 Application deadline: November 6, 2026
📌 Selected colleges notified: By December 11, 2026
📌 College onboarding: January 2027
📌 In-person group meeting: February 2027

Learn more and apply at https://t.co/cfUHORkQIb.

[Ascendium's Education Philanthropy @AscendiumEP]

Strong #Transfer pathways require strong partnerships.

The @thisisUIC is receiving national recognition for its efforts to make degree pathways more seamless for transfer students. Its work with @ChiCityColleges and @ChiPubSchools is helping align credits, advising, and support across institutions so learners can stay on track toward a bachelor’s degree.

#AscendiumEP is pleased to support their Chicago Roadmap 2.0 work. https://t.co/EBQlN5HUzR

#ConnectSystems #AlignSystems