Ascendium Releases 2024 Education Philanthropy Report, Shaping Our Future

Ascendium has released its 2024 Education Philanthropy Report, Shaping Our Future. The report details how, in collaboration with our partners, we worked toward shaping a better future for learners, as well as their families, their communities, and our national economy and society. It includes information about our investments to transform postsecondary education and workforce training systems, how our grant partners worked to develop and scale strategies for learner success, why we put an emphasis on assessing and learning from the evidence generated by our partners, and more.

In 2024, we made over $160 million in new strategic grants to partners that share our commitment to contributing to a better future. Since 2019, Ascendium has awarded a total of $428.5 million in strategic grantmaking for partners to explore, validate, and scale education and training models that work for today’s learners.  

Additionally, we supported many impactful initiatives and advanced significant areas of work where we saw timely opportunities for needed innovation and learning.

• $35.7 million to expand, evaluate, and build the capacity of nonprofit sectoral workforce training providers with a mission to create direct paths to good jobs through targeted, industry-relevant training and support.
• $18.3 million to increase retention and completion through exploring and evaluating institution and state-level postsecondary education reforms.
• $18 million to strengthen postsecondary education in prison programs through technical assistance and capacity building.
• $14 million to expand and evaluate apprenticeships as an effective path to good jobs.
• $8.8 million to create meaningful pathways to upward mobility, particularly in rural communities, by strengthening regional connections and alignment between postsecondary education and career.

“When we remove barriers to postsecondary education and workforce training for learners from low-income backgrounds and ensure there are viable paths to upward mobility, everybody wins,” said Ascendium President and Chief Executive Officer Keith Witham. “We’re especially thankful to our partners for joining us in shaping a better future.” 

About Ascendium

Ascendium Education Group is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to helping people achieve their academic and career goals. Our national philanthropy focuses on increasing opportunities for learners from low-income backgrounds to achieve upward mobility through high-quality learning after high school. Through our grants, we explore innovative ideas, validate promising practices, and scale successful solutions that advance meaningful, systemic change. To learn more, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org.