Ascendium's Education Philanthropy

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Ascendium's Education Philanthropy is committed to helping learners from low-income backgrounds achieve their academic and career goals.

Ascendium believes learning after high school provides the surest path to a well-paying job and stable, fulfilling career. That’s why our national philanthropy focuses on ensuring learners from low-income backgrounds have a range of high-quality postsecondary education or workforce training options available to them. The grants we award explore, validate, and scale solutions that spark systemic change, resulting in improved learner outcomes. Ascendium’s Education Philanthropy is an operating division within Ascendium Education Solutions, Inc., a member company of Ascendium Education Group, Inc. & Affiliates. Comment Policy

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How institutions schedule courses can affect students’ ability to make progress toward a degree.The American Associati...
10/13/2026

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

The American Association of State Colleges and Universities 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://bit.ly/4xPQfqZ

Turning ambitious strategies into lasting systems change takes collaboration.At , grant partner Education Strategy Gr...
10/09/2026

Turning ambitious strategies into lasting systems change takes collaboration.

At , grant partner Education Strategy Group will bring together leaders from , , and to discuss how the Opportunity Alliance is working across states to transform .

Hear what they’re learning about aligning academic programs with workforce needs, strengthening the return on investment of postsecondary education, and building more agile learning models.

Learn more about the Opportunity Alliance: https://bit.ly/4jJrmd5

10/08/2026

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://bit.ly/3VYaZQ5

10/07/2026

Heading to Grantmakers for Education’s annual conference? Join ’s Terese Craig and Kirstin Yeado on Oct. 13 for two conversations about how philanthropy can support learner success.

At 12:15 p.m., Terese will explore how colleges and funders can help make emergency aid a sustainable part of broader student success strategies.

Then at 3:15 p.m., Kirstin will discuss philanthropy’s role in building evidence about what works for rural learners and institutions.

We hope to see you there!

10/07/2026

New research from the Urban Institute and offers a first look at lived experience among leaders and project teams at a subset of Ascendium grant partners working to improve outcomes for learners with a history of incarceration.

Among the people surveyed, 71% reported some form of lived experience with incarceration.

But the value of lived experience goes beyond representation. Respondents described how their experiences can shape the barriers they identify, the programs they design, and the ways they build trust with learners.

What can funders learn from this? And how can they ask about lived experience responsibly?

Click the link to learn what Ascendium and the Urban Institute found. https://bit.ly/4huFpki

A credential is most valuable when it opens doors to what comes next.New research from the Community College Research Ce...
10/05/2026

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

New research from the Community College Research Center, in partnership with the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, 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://bit.ly/4xPPm1D

Credits earned should help learners move forward — wherever their education takes them.With support from , the New Engl...
10/01/2026

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

With support from , 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://bit.ly/4hrZyaJ

Postsecondary education can create meaningful opportunity for justice-impacted students — but sustained support and stro...
09/30/2026

Postsecondary education can create meaningful opportunity for justice-impacted students — but sustained support and strong partnerships matter at every stage.

At the 2026 NCAN National Conference, grant partners The Community and Reentry Campus Program will take part in a conversation about supporting students from enrollment through reentry.

Join The Power of Postsecondary Education in Prison: Supporting Students from Enrollment to Reentry on Oct. 5 from 1:45-2:45 p.m. PT. https://bit.ly/3Tz7IG2

Strong pathways require strong partnerships.The University of Illinois Chicago is receiving national recognition for i...
09/30/2026

Strong pathways require strong partnerships.

The University of Illinois Chicago is receiving national recognition for its efforts to make degree pathways more seamless for transfer students. Its work with City Colleges of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools is helping align credits, advising, and support across institutions so learners can stay on track toward a bachelor’s degree.

is pleased to support their Chicago Roadmap 2.0 work. https://bit.ly/4yqS2Dw

Building durable college access pathways for justice-impacted students takes coordinated work across corrections, colleg...
09/29/2026

Building durable college access pathways for justice-impacted students takes coordinated work across corrections, colleges, state agencies, and community organizations.

At the 2026 NCAN National Conference, grant partners Western Mass CORE and the Tennessee Higher Education Initiative will share cross-state lessons on building partnerships, sustaining coalitions, and centering the voices of directly impacted students.

Join Building the Ecosystem: Cross-State Lessons in Justice-Impacted College Access Partnerships on Oct. 5 from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. PT. https://bit.ly/3Tz7IG2

Address

38 Buttonwood Court
Madison, WI
53718

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4:30am
Tuesday 8am - 4:30am
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm
Friday 8am - 4:30pm

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