Ascendium's Education Philanthropy

06/17/2026

Are you passionate about creating more pathways to opportunity through postsecondary education and workforce training?

We’re hiring multiple Senior Program Officers to help shape grantmaking strategies that expand opportunity, support learner success, and connect and align systems across the country.

We’re seeking leaders with expertise in workforce reentry, community college transformation, state-level cross-sector systems alignment, policy, or external affairs.

Apply today by clicking the link!
https://bit.ly/4uFAfpW

06/16/2026

In observance of Juneteenth, our office will be closed on Friday, June 19.

06/09/2026

Congratulations to the 10 selected as finalists for the !

Awarded every two years by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, the Prize recognizes excellent community colleges that achieve high and improving levels of student success across learning, completion, transfer, and workforce.

supports the Aspen Prize as it highlights what’s possible when community colleges focus on student success and strong workforce outcomes.

Click the link to learn more about these outstanding finalists. At least one college will be selected as the winner in February 2027.
https://bit.ly/3L7EfPc

Chippewa Valley Technical College
Forsyth Tech
Lorain County Community College
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Patrick & Henry Community College
South Puget Sound Community College
Stanly Community College
Tallahassee State College
Tri-County Technical College
Wallace State Community College

06/08/2026

Do you know the nonprofit landscape in the greater Madison and Milwaukee metropolitan areas? Are you passionate about building relationships that strengthen communities and create opportunities for learners?

We’re hiring a Senior Program Officer for Local Partnerships to help guide Ascendium’s local grantmaking efforts. In this role, you’ll build trusted partnerships with community organizations, identify opportunities to address local needs, and help shape investments that support upward mobility.

Click the link to learn more about this hybrid role located in Madison and apply today.
https://bit.ly/49NOba5

06/04/2026

“In divinity school, when you're studying to be a minister, you talk a lot about having a call: what is the thing that the universe has put you here to do? I don't know what that's supposed to feel like, but if it's not coming out of a jail and thinking to yourself, why is anyone doing anything except for this, then I don't know that I'm ever going to feel one.”

What inspires someone to dedicate their career to expanding opportunity for incarcerated learners? Earlier this year, Senior Strategy Officer Molly Lasagna sat down with Roadtrip Nation to reflect on the experiences that shaped her path and the purpose she finds in this work. Watch her full interview at the link: https://bit.ly/4ucuKyL.

Molly Lasagna, Senior Strategy Officer, Incarcerated Learner Initiatives, Ascendium Education Philanthropy - Roadtrip Nation interview - I make grants to support college in prison programs.

06/03/2026

What if one of the most effective tools for development is already in place but is underutilized?

Research from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems shows how the Cooperative Extension System can serve as a connector across partners, helping communities respond to economic and workforce challenges with locally grounded solutions. With deep community trust and a place-based approach, Extension is uniquely positioned to connect fragmented efforts across policymakers, institutions, providers, and funders.

Click the link to read more. https://bit.ly/4u4Owwh

05/29/2026

Too often, students lose momentum when the credits they earned don’t count toward their degree.

New research from Ithaka S+R highlights how The City University of New York's Transfer Explorer (T-REX) tool helps shift that by making it easier for students to see how credits transfer and apply to degree requirements.

Explore the research and learn more about how clearer, more transparent credit mobility tools like T-REX can support credit mobility. https://sr.ithaka.org/publications/academic-momentum-and-credit-mobility/

05/26/2026

Student success doesn’t just depend on policy — it depends on how leaders work together.
This brief, co-created by the State Higher Education Officers Association and Sova, highlights how stronger collaboration between state and institutional leaders can drive more aligned, effective student outcomes across systems. It offers practical recommendations through real state examples, ready-to-use templates, and a framework to support better state-institution collaboration. https://bit.ly/49hTFcS

Click the link to explore the brief.

05/22/2026

A new National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) podcast explores how institutions are redesigning advising systems to better connect academic, financial, and personal support for learners. This, in turn, helps more learners persist and complete their programs.

Tune in to learn more about holistic advising and how institutions can scale these supports sustainably across campus and leadership systems. https://bit.ly/4urJ87q

05/21/2026