National Education Philanthropy

Supporting Lasting Change

Ascendium is one of the nation's largest and most active postsecondary education and workforce training philanthropies. We channel the net proceeds from the services we provide and investments we make into our philanthropy, which funds initiatives that help learners from low-income backgrounds attain upward mobility.

The initiatives we fund are at every stage of development — from promising but untested approaches to proven practices ready to be brought to scale. To create an environment where evidence-based practices can take root, grow, and become the norm, we share insights from these initiatives with others in the postsecondary education and workforce training fields.

Learn About Ascendium Education Philanthropy

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FRAMEWORK

Our philanthropy aims to improve postsecondary education and workforce training systems to better serve learners from low-income backgrounds. Most systems weren’t designed to work for these learners, creating obstacles to their success. Together with our grantees, we advance systemic change to help learners succeed.

STRATEGIES

We award grants based on three core strategies: Expand Opportunity, Support Learner Success, and Connect and Align Systems. These strategies are flexible, allowing us to adapt to the obstacles learners are currently facing. Portfolios within these strategies enable us to concentrate on specific issues, encourage innovative ideas, and build on lessons learned.

FOCUS

Learners from low-income backgrounds face obstacles at every step of their academic journey. Our philanthropy funds efforts to remove the obstacles that prevent these learners from accessing, navigating between, and completing postsecondary education and workforce training.

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“We know that high-quality learning after high school is critical for building a rewarding career and achieving lifetime economic security. Consistent with Ascendium’s overarching mission, we believe all people deserve that opportunity, and we use our philanthropic resources to invest strategically in removing the barriers that disproportionately impact learners from low-income backgrounds. Whether through a postsecondary credential at a two- or four-year institution or workforce training tied to a specific industry, our grantmaking focuses on ensuring that all learners regardless of background have a path to upward mobility that works for them.”

KEITH WITHAM | PRESIDENT AND CEO, ASCENDIUM EDUCATION GROUP