College Readiness Funders

AINSLIE FOUNDATION

Ainslie’s tax records suggest a strong interest in college preparatory programs.

AON FOUNDATION

This foundation supports efforts to increase access to quality education for underserved populations in Chicago area and elsewhere.

ASCENDIUM EDUCATION PHILANTHROPY

Ascendium works to close the equity gap in education and remove barriers to college education for underserved and marginalized students.

AT&T FOUNDATION

The AT&T Aspire program aims to “help students graduate from high school ready for college and careers to become better prepared to meet global competition.”

BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

A subprogram for workforce development and education aims to provide young adults with the “skills, resources and experience needed to succeed.”

BEAUMONT FOUNDATION OF AMERICA

Working mainly in the Southwest, this funder aims to increase access to higher education through scholarships, access to college preparatory classes and leadership development and training for teachers.

BEST BUY FOUNDATION

Best Buy’s Career Pathways program provides teenagers with a “bridge to success through mentoring, career readiness preparation and internships.”

BEZOS FAMILY FOUNDATION

The Bezos Family Foundation is dedicated to enriching educational experiences for students—starting before formal education begins, continuing through K-12 education, and positioning students for college success.

BLOOMBERG PHILANTHROPIES

Bloomberg’s Advancing K-12 Education initiative focuses on “increasing high school graduation rates and, ultimately, college enrollment.”

CAPITAL ONE FOUNDATION

This corporate funder’s FutureEdge program seeks to help people thrive in the emerging digital economy, and to this end it has invested in coding and engineering education programs for middle and high school students.

CARNEGIE CORPORATION OF NEW YORK 

The corporation’s New Designs to Advance Learning program aims to create a “new vision” of education in which purposeful, holistic learning experiences lead to the mastery of “higher-order skills and knowledge that enable postsecondary success.”

CITI FOUNDATION

Citi’s signature Pathways to Progress initiative supports organizations that equip underserved students with academic and core skills for college success.

COLLEGE FUTURES FOUNDATION

Prioritizing the state of California, this funder’s Dual Enrollment initiative enables students to take college-level coursework while in high school.

COMCAST FOUNDATION

Comcast’s giving for college readiness prioritizes diversity, technology skills, bilingual education and mentoring and leadership programs for teens and young adults.

JACK KENT COOKE FOUNDATION

This foundation’s College Access and Excellence program “identifies and invests a portion of its funding in strategic grant initiatives to expand educational opportunities throughout the United States”

MICHAEL AND SUSAN DELL FOUNDATION

Dell’s college success initiative prioritizes low-income and first-generation college students in the U.S. and South Africa as they navigate the pressures and difficulties of postsecondary education.

DEUTSCHE BANK AMERICAS

This funder demonstrates a strong interest in college readiness programs in the U.S., supporting programs that provide academic support as well as counseling and mentoring through the college application and selection process.

DONLEY FOUNDATION

The Donley Foundation names college readiness as an area of interest, prioritizing programs that provide tutoring and mentoring to high school students.

ECMC FOUNDATION

This funder’s college success program seeks to “increase the number of students from historically and presently underserved backgrounds who persist through and graduate from an institution of higher education with a bachelor’s degree.”

ECOLAB FOUNDATION

Ecolab names college and career readiness as a main priorities of its youth and education program, which prioritizes public school districts and STEM disciplines. Grantmaking serves areas where Ecolab maintains operations.

FCA FOUNDATION

This funder focuses its education giving on organizations that promote educational equity for underserved groups, college readiness and access, and youth services and development.

ROSALINDE AND ARTHUR GILBERT FOUNDATION

This foundation’s college access program aims to support underrepresented and low-income students as they attain admission to and succeed in accredited postsecondary education programs.

EVELYN AND WALTER HAAS, JR. FUND

The fund supports organizations and programs that help K-12 students to develop academic and life skills that are associated with college success.

HEARST FOUNDATIONS

Hearst’s college readiness priorities include scholarships, “college access and success programming,” and career-oriented STEM education.

HELIOS EDUCATION FOUNDATION

Helios supports Florida- and Arizona-based initiatives that aim to increase enrollment in and completion of two- and four-year college degree programs.

JOYCE FOUNDATION

This foundation’s College and Career Readiness subprogram supports the development of policies “that ensure students of color and students in marginalized communities in the Great Lakes region graduate high school prepared to succeed in college and careers.”

MAYER AND MORRIS KAPLAN FAMILY FOUNDATION

Kaplan’s Education initiative aims to increase “post secondary opportunities and life success for underrepresented minority, first-generation students from low-income communities.”

KRESGE FOUNDATION

Kresge’s Urban Pathways to College program aims to “increase the number of low-income students, both from high schools and adult populations, who get into college ready to succeed.” Funding prioritizes California, Florida, Michigan, and Texas and the Detroit, Memphis, and New Orleans urban areas.

LUMINA FOUNDATION

Lumina’s college readiness grantmaking focuses on aligning K-12 academic standards to quantitative measures of college and career readiness.

CHARLES STEWART MOTT FOUNDATION

Mott’s Graduating High School College and Career Ready program aims to “create a culture in which students have both the aspiration and ability to pursue college or career training after high school graduation.”

NATIONAL MATH & SCIENCE INITIATIVE

NMSI’s College Readiness Program seeks to “empower sustainable changes at the school system, campus and classroom levels to better prepare all students for college and beyond.”

PANDA CARES

The Panda Cares Scholars program supports “outstanding students” who face financial barriers to college completion. In addition to financial support, the program provides recipients with leadership and career development opportunities.

PIMCO FOUNDATION

Pimco’s college readiness grants support “programming that prepares underserved youth academically for education beyond high school.”

SCHUSTERMAN FOUNDATION

This funder’s Pathways to College and Workforce initiative backs projects and organizations working to provide access to and prepare Tulsa students for higher education.

TEAGLE FOUNDATION

Teagle supports college readiness via its Knowledge for Freedom program, which brings high school students to college campuses to experience liberal arts courses and “study humanity’s deepest questions about leading lives of purpose and civic responsibility.”

TRAVELERS FOUNDATION

College readiness is a main area of focus of Travelers’ education funding. In addition to scholarships, the foundation supports mentoring programs and leadership development.

US BANCORP FOUNDATION

A component of Bancorp’s Work program makes grants to “help low- and moderate-income and at-risk middle and high school students prepare for post-secondary education at a community college, university, trade or technical school and career readiness.”

HARRY AND JEANETTE WEINBERG FOUNDATION

Weinberg’s College and Career Preparedness initiative “supports programs that assist students in developing a post-secondary plan and position them for success after graduation from high school.” Areas of focus include college access, application advisement, counseling and certification programs.

WELLS FARGO

While much Wells Fargo’s grantmaking funds scholarships and financial literacy, it has supported organizations working to increase college readiness and ease of access, as well as mentoring and internship programs.

ZEGAR FAMILY FOUNDATION

This funder’s college access grants support programs “providing college access and success for the less advantaged students who desire to attend them.” California and New York are geographic priorities.