Funding search · EIN 391853833 · Madison, WI

Ascendium Education Solutions

A grantmaking public charity (files IRS Form 990, Schedule I). Charities like this often run real grant programs with application cycles.

667
grants reported
$296.7M
total given
2022–2024
filing years
$82,186
median grant

Based on grants this organization reported to the IRS for tax years 20222024. This is what they filed, not a complete record of their giving, and recent years may be incomplete because filings lag.

What they fund

successeducationemergencyinternshippaidhighertravelgood

Funder website ↗Full IRS filings ↗How this is builtReport an error

Funding pattern

What this funder pays for, at what size, and how to position adjacent work. Read from their filings, with every number checked against the record.

Where the money goes

  • Postsecondary education in prison: delivery systems, Pell implementation, technical assistance
  • Rural learner postsecondary access, workforce pathways, and data capacity
  • Community college student success reforms: guided pathways, corequisites, transfer
  • Sectoral workforce training and IT/tech certificate programs for low-income adults
  • Research, evaluation, and evidence-building on postsecondary and workforce outcomes
  • State systems and intermediaries scaling proven student success models

Typical grant

Median grant is $82,186, with the middle half between roughly $29,000 and $401,000. The seven-figure checks go to national intermediaries and research shops running multi-site scaling work (Merit America, MDRC, Teachers College, Achieving the Dream), while the small awards are travel grants, conference sponsorships, and memberships that keep grantees in the field's convenings. Recipients repeat heavily: 667 grants went to 454 recipients, and many organizations hold several concurrent grants bundled into one annual total.

Their words

Phrases from their own grant descriptions, worth speaking back to them.

  • learners from low-income backgrounds
  • higher education in prison
  • rural
  • economic mobility
  • career pathways
  • student success
  • scaling
  • building evidence

Positioning adjacent work

  • Anchor your work to one named theme: higher education in prison, rural learners, or community college student success.
  • Pitch research as a learning partner or evaluation of an existing grantee's model, not standalone inquiry.
  • Ask $300K to $900K for a single-institution study; reserve seven figures for multi-state scaling with a named partner.
  • Name the outcome as postsecondary completion tied to employment, and specify low-income learner counts served.

Worth knowing: Ascendium is the philanthropic arm of a Wisconsin student loan servicer, and Wisconsin leads recipient counts (118) alongside DC-based national policy organizations (89), so local Madison-area giving sits beside a national strategy. A concentrated set of intermediaries (MDRC, Achieving the Dream, Jobs for the Future, Aspen, Ithaka, Vera) absorbs most of the large dollars and often serves as the on-ramp for researchers, and the higher education in prison portfolio expanded sharply in 2024 following Pell reinstatement.

6 grants matching “analytics · $16.9M

  • $7.6M

    Merit America · Washington, DC · 2024

    Grant, Scaling IT Support and Data Analytics Certificate Programming for Learners from Low-Income Grant, Accelerating Workforce Training Pathways via Merit America's Opportunity Fund

  • $648,350

    Colorado State University · Fort Collins, CO · 2024

    Grant, Curricular Analytics

  • $3.0M

    Merit America · Washington, DC · 2023

    Scaling IT Support and Data Analytics Certificate Programming for Learners from Low-Income Backgrounds

  • $50,000

    Colorado State University · Fort Collins, CO · 2023

    Curricular Analytics Transfer Exchange

  • $5.0M

    Merit America · Washington, DC · 2022

    Grant, Scaling IT Support and Data Analytics Certificate Programming for Learners from Low-Income Backgrounds

  • $655,200

    Colorado State University · Fort Collins, CO · 2022

    Grant, Curricular Analytics

Top recipients

Repeat recipients are the strongest signal of whether a funder has an open door or quietly re-funds the same organizations.

  • Strada Education Network1 grant · $50.2M
  • Mdrc3 grants · $12.2M
  • Merit America2 grants · $10.6M
  • Teachers College Columbia University3 grants · $6.4M
  • Blue Meridian Partners2 grants · $6.0M
  • Merit America1 grant · $5.0M
  • American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences3 grants · $4.9M
  • Education Design Lab2 grants · $4.7M
  • Achieving the Dream2 grants · $4.7M
  • New Venture Fund3 grants · $4.6M

Giving over time

$107.7M
2022
$71.5M
2023
$117.5M
2024

Grant history

The 100 largest of 667 grants.

  • $50.2M

    Strada Education Network · Indianapolis, IN · 2022

    support their philanthropic efforts pursuant to the December 6, 2016 transfer of ownership of United Student Aid Funds and Northwest Education Loan Association from USA Funds (now Strada) to Ascendium.

  • $7.6M

    Merit America · Washington, DC · 2024

    Grant, Scaling IT Support and Data Analytics Certificate Programming for Learners from Low-Income Grant, Accelerating Workforce Training Pathways via Merit America's Opportunity Fund

  • $7.4M

    Mdrc · New York, NY · 2024

    Grant, Strengthen and Scale Multiple Measures Assessment Implementation Grant, Examining Faculty Decision-Making in Course Equivalency and Transfer Grant, Learning Partner for Future Sectoral Training Evidence-Building read all
  • $5.0M

    Merit America · Washington, DC · 2022

    Grant, Scaling IT Support and Data Analytics Certificate Programming for Learners from Low-Income Backgrounds

  • $4.5M

    Education Design Lab · Washington, DC · 2023

    Transformation of the Postsecondary Landscape Community College Growth Engine Fund Expansion Travel Grant Rural Summit 2023 Catalyzing Rural Community Colleges Through a Design Challenge

  • $3.9M

    Mdrc · New York, NY · 2022

    Grant, Capitalizing on Federal Momentum to Advance Postsecondary Student Success Grant, On the Path to a Degree (OnPath) Grant, Strengthen and Scale Multiple Measures Assessment Implementation Grant, Building & Applying read all
  • $3.6M

    Teachers College Columbia University · New York, NY · 2024

    Grant, Paving the Way to Equitable, Adequate and Effective Community College Funding Grant, Expanding and Sharing the Evidence Base of Key Student Success Reforms Grant, Supporting National Reporting on Postsecondary Ed read all
  • $3.5M

    Achieving the Dream · Silver Spring, MD · 2023

    Actualizing Community Vibrancy Metrics Evaluating Digital Pathways Transformation Cohort of Rural Community Colleges From Opening Doors to Ushering In- Strategic Enrollment Management for Adult Learner Success Project S read all
  • $3.3M

    Louisiana Board of Regents · Baton Rouge, LA · 2024

    Grant, Supporting National Reporting on Postsecondary Education and Workforce Training

  • $3.3M

    Jobs for the Future · Boston, MA · 2023

    Ready for Pell Supporting Career Pathways for Low-Income Rural Immigrants, Migrants and Refugees Travel Grant - Grantmakers for Education Conference Travel Grant SXSW EDU Horizons: JFF National Summit 6/14-6/15/23

  • $3.3M

    American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences · Arlington, VA · 2024

    Grant, Assessing Quality and Equitable Access and Outcomes of Distance Postsecondary Courses for the Incarcerated Grant, Rural Research Support Partner Grant, Advancing Postsecondary Competency-Based Education Pathways read all
  • $3.0M

    Blue Meridian Partners · New York, NY · 2024

    Grant, Blue Meridian Partners Impact Investment

  • $3.0M

    Blue Meridian Partners · New York, NY · 2023

    Blue Meridian Partners Impact Investment

  • $3.0M

    Merit America · Washington, DC · 2023

    Scaling IT Support and Data Analytics Certificate Programming for Learners from Low-Income Backgrounds

  • $2.8M

    Achieving the Dream · Silver Spring, MD · 2024

    Grant, Redesigning Pathways for Adult College and Career Success Grant, Project Success Formative and Summative Assessment Grant, Project Success 2024-2025 Grant, Travel Grant - Rural Summit Grant, Exploring Shortened A read all
  • $2.7M

    New Venture Fund · Washington, DC · 2024

    Grant, NCII Impact Fund - Rural Guided Pathways Grant, Scaling the Leadership Academy for Student Success Grant, Expanding Rural Guided Pathways

  • $2.6M

    Urban League of Greater Madison · Madison, WI · 2023

    Advance Employment Services Black Business Hub

  • $2.5M

    Aspen Insitute · Washington, DC · 2022

    Grant, Advancing Community College Students' Post-Graduation Success Grant, 2023 Aspen Prize and New Student Outcomes Data Benchmarking Tool Grant, Researching and Awarding Excellence in Rural Community College Grant, A read all
  • $2.5M

    Social Finance · Boston, MA · 2024

    Grant, Exploring Innovative Financing to Strengthen Pre-Apprenticeships, Creating Rural Talent Finance Partnerships, and Establishing the Social Finance Institute

  • $2.5M

    Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership · Milwaukee, WI · 2024

    Grant, Coalition-Led Career Pathway Initiative Framework for Apprenticeship Expansion in Wisconsin

  • $2.5M

    Amalgamated Charitable Foundation · Washington, DC · 2023

    Building Postsecondary Rural and Prison Education Funder Collaboratives

  • $2.5M

    Center for Black Excellence and Culture · Madison, WI · 2022

    Grant, Founding Partner Gift

  • $2.5M

    Centro Hispano · Madison, WI · 2022

    Grant, Campaign CENTRO

  • $2.5M

    Teachers College Columbia University · New York, NY · 2022

    Grant, Reporting of Postsecondary Education Grant, Guided Pathways: "What and How To" Educational Series Grant, Expanding and Sharing the Evidence Base of Key Student Success Reforms

  • $2.4M

    State of Ohio · Columbus, OH · 2024

    Grant, Ohio Strong Start in Science (OhioSSS)

  • $2.4M

    Aspen Institute · Washington, DC · 2023

    Advancing Community College Students' Post-Graduation Success 2023 Aspen Prize and New Student Outcomes Data Benchmarking Tool Researching and Awarding Excellence in Rural Community College Accelerating Transfer Reform

  • $2.4M

    Vera Institute of Justice · Brooklyn, NY · 2024

    Grant, Travel Grant - Higher Education in Prison Grantee Convening Grant, Closing the Pell Implementation Gap Grant, Travel Grant - National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators 2024 National Conference G read all
  • $2.4M

    The Aspen Institute · Washington, DC · 2024

    Grant, Advancing Community College Students' Post-Graduation Success Grant, Aspen Prize, Higher Education Board Reform, and Increasing Focus on College Leadership

  • $2.3M

    Jobs for the Future · Boston, MA · 2024

    Horizons 2024 Sponsorship 7/22/24 - 7/23/24 Grant, Supporting Career Pathways for Low-Income Rural Immigrants, Migrants and Refugees Grant, Travel Grant - Rural Summit Grant, Fair Chance to Advance: Transforming Systems read all
  • $2.1M

    Texas Community College Education Initiative · Austin, TX · 2024

    Grant, Talent Strong Texas Pathways for Multilingual Learners of English Grant, Talent Strong Texas Pathways: Student Supports and Belonging HB8 Implementation

  • $2.0M

    Ithaka Harbors · New York, NY · 2024

    Grant, Building Data Collection and Evaluation Capacity for Higher Education in Prisons Grant, Enhancing and Expanding the Transfer Explorer Tool Grant, Strategies to Support Holistic Credit Mobility Grant, Travel Grant read all
  • $2.0M

    Per Scholas · Bronx, NY · 2024

    Grant, Fueling Growth Through Innovation

  • $2.0M

    Per Scholas · Bronx, NY · 2022

    Grant, Fueling Growth Through Innovation

  • $1.9M

    New England Board of Higher Education · Boston, MA · 2024

    Grant, Launching the New England Prison Higher Education Collaborative Grant, Travel Grant - Higher Education in Prison Grantee Convening -AL

  • $1.8M

    Resilience Education · Charlottesville, VA · 2024

    Grant, Expanding Business Education and Employment Opportunity in Postsecondary Education in Prison Programs Grant, Identifying and Scaling Programmatic Technical Assistance Resources in Higher Education in Prison Trave read all
  • $1.6M

    Universities of Wisconsin System · Madison, WI · 2024

    Grant, Supporting the Wisconsin Tuition Promise 2025

  • $1.6M

    Boys & Girls Club of Dane County · Madison, WI · 2022

    Grant, McKenzie Regional Workforce Center Good Neighbor Grant

  • $1.5M

    Tennessee Board of Regents · Nashville, TN · 2023

    Pathways to Success for Adults with Some College but No Degree

  • $1.5M

    National Lead for America · Wichita, KS · 2024

    Grant, Strengthening National Service as a Pathway to Workforce Development and Economic Mobility in Rural Communities

  • $1.5M

    Year Up · Boston, MA · 2024

    Grant, Innovation and Expansion of Accelerated Training and Shared Outcomes Model

  • $1.5M

    Year Up · Boston, MA · 2022

    Grant, Innovation and Expansion of Accelerated Training and Shared Outcomes Model

  • $1.4M

    Npower · Brooklyn, NY · 2024

    Grant, Advancing Alternate Pathways to Technology Careers for Learners from Low-Income, Underserved Communities

  • $1.3M

    Asu Foundation · Tempe, AZ · 2023

    Scaling Academic Recovery Interventions Site-Specific Evaluation of Academic Recovery Innovations

  • $1.3M

    State of Minnesota · St Paul, MN · 2024

    Grant, Optimizing Delivery Systems for Higher Education in Prison

  • $1.3M

    Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors · New York, NY · 2023

    College Promise Careers Institute & Expanding Ecosystems for Promise Student Support

  • $1.3M

    New Venture Fund · Washington, DC · 2023

    Building Support for Women Community College Leaders NCII Impact Fund - Rural Guided Pathways

  • $1.2M

    New America Foundation · Washington, DC · 2024

    Grant, Bringing Value-Based Bachelor's Degrees to Rural Community College Students Grant, Putting Community Colleges at the Center of Innovation Economies

  • $1.2M

    The University of Tennessee · Knoxville, TN · 2023

    Supporting Competency-Based Teacher Education in Tennessee

  • $1.1M

    Public Agenda · Brooklyn, NY · 2023

    Beyond Transfer Supporting Provosts for Student Success Transformation in State Systems Transfer Funders Group Facilitation & Planning

  • $1.1M

    Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors · New York, NY · 2024

    Grant, Expanding Workforce Alignment and Capacity of College Promise Programs to Better Support Low-Income Learners Grant, Developing a National Justice Worker Credentialing Model Grant, Frontline Justice an initiative read all
  • $1.1M

    Achieving the Dream · Silver Spring, MD · 2022

    Student Success Partner Grant Grant, Evaluating Digital Pathways Transformation Cohort of Rural Community Colleges Grant, Actualizing Community Vibrancy Metrics

  • $1.1M

    North Carolina State University · Raleigh, NC · 2024

    Grant, Advancing Equitable Outcomes through Leadership Grant, Building Evidence to Increase Rural Learner Success Travel Grant - Association for the Study of Higher Education

  • $1.1M

    Jobs for the Future · Boston, MA · 2022

    Grant, JFF Horizons 6/7/2022 - 6/8/2022 Grant, Signature Statewide Initiative Planning Grant, Ready for Pell Grant, Supporting Career Pathways for Low-Income Rural Immigrants, Migrants, and Refugees

  • $1.1M

    Community Partners · Los Angeles, CA · 2023

    Understanding the Landscape of Higher Education in Prison Establishing and Solidifying a Field Convener Travel Grant - National College Attainment Network 2023 National Conference Understanding the Landscape of Higher E read all
  • $1.0M

    Project Quest · San Antonio, TX · 2023

    Building Career Pathways to Economic Mobility and Capacity Growth

  • $1.0M

    Wested · San Francisco, CA · 2024

    Grant, Travel Grant - National Higher Education Teaching Conference 2024 Grant, Building the Data Capacity of Rural Postsecondary Institutions Grant, Project Success 2024-2025

  • $1.0M

    The Regents of the University of California · Irvine, CA · 2024

    Grant, From Training to Employment: A Multi-Inquiry Study of Noncredit Workforce Training Programs Grant, Improving College-Career Transitions: Leveraging Internships and Campus Career Services to Improve Early Career O read all
  • $996,590

    University of Washington · Seattle, WA · 2023

    Building Evidence to Increase Rural Learner Success STEM Transfer Partnerships Travel Grant - Association for the Study of Higher Education Conference

  • $996,167

    The Launchcode Foundation · St Louis, MO · 2023

    Preparing Incarcerated Learners for Careers in Technology Unlocking Pathways to Upward Mobility: Building Bridges from Prison to Employment with Unlocked Labs

  • $994,400

    American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences · Arlington, VA · 2023

    Designing a Postsecondary Education in Prison RFP Initiative Rural Research Support Partner Strengthening the Postsecondary Education in Prison Field Through High-Impact Technical Assistance

  • $992,500

    National Association of College and University Business Officers ( Nacubo) · Washington, DC · 2023

    NACUBO Strategically Financing Structures to Remove Barriers

  • $983,210

    Project Quest · San Antonio, TX · 2024

    Grant, Building Career Pathways to Economic Mobility and Capacity Growth

  • $982,533

    Strada Education Foundation · Indianapolis, IN · 2024

    Grant, Documenting Opportunities for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Learners Grant, Launching the Pittsburgh Regional Upskilling Alliance

  • $936,133

    John N Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education · Brevard, NC · 2022

    Grant, Accelerating Just Transformation in the Foundational Postsecondary Experience Grant, Governing Board Success Academy

  • $935,700

    Mdrc · New York, NY · 2023

    Examining Faculty Decision-Making in Course Equivalency and Transfer Strengthen and Scale Multiple Measures Assessment Implementation

  • $932,582

    Education Commission of the States · Denver, CO · 2023

    State Policy Barriers for Students Impacted by the Justice System Strong Start to Finish - Accelerating Scaled Implementation

  • $913,541

    University of Utah · Salt Lake City, UT · 2024

    Grant, Planning for a Center for Prison Education Research and Leadership Grant, Site-Specific Evaluation of Academic Recovery Innovations Grant, Travel Grant - DREAM 2024 Conference Grant, Travel Grant - Grantmakers fo read all
  • $900,000

    National Fund for Workforce Solutions · Washington, DC · 2023

    Disrupting Occupational Segregation through Regional Postsecondary and Workforce Partnerships

  • $888,900

    Coalfield Development Corporation · Huntington, WV · 2024

    Grant, Rural Appalachian Workforce Development and Postsecondary Pathways Project

  • $885,000

    University of Texas at Austin · Austin, TX · 2024

    Grant, Scaling Math Pathways in Alabama Grant, Mobile-Enabled Learning Supports in Co-Requisite Courses in Louisiana

  • $879,183

    National Association of College and University Busines Officers ( Nacubo) · Washington, DC · 2022

    Grant, NACUBO Strategically Financing Structures to Remove Barriers

  • $867,537

    Rockwood Leadership Institute · Oakland, CA · 2024

    Grant, Formerly Incarcerated Leaders Fellowship

  • $850,000

    Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives Foundation · Alexandria, VA · 2022

    Grant, Advancing the Economic Mobility of Rural Learners

  • $827,298

    Coleridge Initiative · Chevy Chase, MD · 2023

    Building a Statewide Data Dashboard for Postsecondary Education in Prison Establishing a Data Use Challenge to Inform Education & Workforce Transitions Sponsorship, 3rd Annual National Convening 3/28-3/29/23

  • $825,000

    Savi Solutions Pbc · Washington, DC · 2023

    Borrower Education Campaign: My Way to Repay Philanthropy, Savi Solution Partnership on At Risk Borrowers

  • $814,100

    Yes We Must Coalition · Wayland, MA · 2023

    Addressing Inequity in College Retention of Low-Income Students: Collaboratively Creating Pathways to Careers in Four-Year Degree Programs

  • $810,780

    American Indian College Fund · Denver, CO · 2023

    Building Pathways to Rural and Tribal Employment Travel Grant - Association for the Study of Higher Education Conference

  • $803,900

    Yes We Must Coalition · Wayland, MA · 2024

    Grant, Addressing Inequity in College Retention of Low-Income Students: Collaboratively Creating Pathways to Careers in Four-Year Degree Programs

  • $784,500

    Foundation for California Community Colleges · Sacramento, CA · 2024

    Grant, Exploring Shortened Academic Terms in California Community Colleges

  • $781,050

    Loyola University · New Orleans, LA · 2024

    Travel Grant - Higher Education in Prison Grantee Convening AL Grant, Identifying and Scaling Programmatic Technical Assistance Resources in Higher Education in Prison Grant, Jesuit Prison Education Grant, Examining Edu read all
  • $780,000

    Association of Community College Trustees · Washington, DC · 2024

    Grant, Expanding Registered Apprenticeships and the Role of Community Colleges

  • $776,667

    Open Campus Media · Washington, DC · 2023

    Supporting National Reporting on Postsecondary Education in Prison and Rural Postsecondary Education and Workforce Training Supporting Work Shift and The Job's National Reporting on Workforce Training Pathways

  • $764,725

    Alliance for Higher Education in Prison · Denver, CO · 2024

    Travel Grant - Higher Education in Prison Grantee Convening AL Sponsorship, 13th NCHEP 11/8-11/11/23 Grant, Supporting the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison's Field Leadership

  • $764,512

    University of Washington · Seattle, WA · 2024

    Grant, STEM Transfer Partnership 2.0: Extending Impact Through Enhanced Partnerships Travel Grant - Association for the Study of Higher Education

  • $764,117

    Columbus Learning Center Management Corporation · Columbus, IN · 2024

    Grant, Building Rural Community Learning Systems: Education to Employment Partnerships Travel Grant - Grantmakers for Education

  • $760,450

    Scholarship America · St Peter, MN · 2024

    2024 Irving Innovation Awards Sponsorship, 11/12/24 Grant, Creating a National Movement for Emergency Aid Triple Your Impact match 2024 Match 11/2023-Jacki Fairbairn | Triple Your Impact match 2024 Match 11/2023

  • $752,450

    The Research Foundation for the State University of New York · Albany, NY · 2024

    Grant, Establishing a State University of New York Prison Education Network Grant, Travel Grant - Higher Education in Prison Grantee Convening -AL

  • $750,263

    Coleridge Initiative · Chevy Chase, MD · 2022

    Grant, Travel Grant SXSW EDU Grant, Establishing a Data Use Challenge to Inform Education & Workforce Transitions

  • $750,000

    Vermont Youth Conservation Corps · Richmond, VT · 2024

    Grant, Providing Work-Based Learning Opportunities through Serve-Learn-Earn Vermont

  • $750,000

    The Chronicle of Higher Education · Washington, DC · 2023

    Supporting The Different Voices of Student Success Resource Center

  • $750,000

    The Chronicle of Higher Education · Washington, DC · 2022

    Grant, Different Voices of Student Success: Focus on Solutions

  • $743,600

    Join Freeworld · Austin, TX · 2024

    Grant, Scaling CDL Training and Career Pathways for Formerly Incarcerated Learners Travel Grant - Higher Education in Prison Grantee Convening AL

  • $730,000

    Tennessee Board of Regents · Nashville, TN · 2022

    Grant, Pathways to Success for Adults with Some College but No Degree

  • $724,854

    John N Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education · Brevard, NC · 2024

    Grant, Governing Board Success Academy Grant, Accelerating Just Transformation in the Foundational Postsecondary Experience

  • $707,760

    Michigan Community College Foundation · Lansing, MI · 2024

    Grant, Upper Midwest Collaborative to Address Economic Imperatives

  • $700,000

    Goodwill Industries International · Rockville, MD · 2024

    Grant, Implementing the Opportunity Accelerator Program to Expand Postsecondary Pathways for Rural Learners

  • $700,000

    Goodwill Industries International · Rockville, MD · 2023

    Implementing the Opportunity Accelerator Program to Expand Postsecondary Pathways for Rural Learners

  • $682,415

    Wested · San Francisco, CA · 2023

    Improving Higher Education Opportunities for English Learners Project Success 2023 Partner Grant

  • $677,181

    National Student Clearinghouse Research Ctr · Herndon, VA · 2022

    Grant, Developing a Proxy Measure of Income in NSC Research Publications

  • $675,375

    New Venture Fund · Washington, DC · 2022

    Grant, Scaling the Leadership Academy for Student Success

View all 667 grants →

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Source: IRS Form 990, Schedule I, as filed by this organization. These are grants already paid. Grants paid directly to individuals are reported to the IRS only as totals, so they do not appear as named lines here.