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Publications & Research
Partnering for Impact: Propelling the Movement for an Equitable Higher Education System
In 2020, College Futures Foundation launched a Policy and Advocacy Ecosystem (Policy Ecosystem) strategy intended to strengthen an ecosystem of grantee organizations working to improve equity in California’s higher education system and foster valuable connections among these organizations. Over the course of four years, the Policy Ecosystem brought 15 nonprofit organizations together to cultivate interactions, Read more >
Publications & Research
Collaboration, Not Competition: Shifting Philanthropic Approaches to Movement Building for Equity
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing inequities and brought about monumental new challenges for California’s students and educational institutions. In May 2020, College Futures Foundation virtually convened a group of nine grantee organizations seeking space to make sense of the pandemic’s early impact on postsecondary students and systems. Over the following months, as the pandemic deepened inequities in students’ lives and reinforced the need for responsive policy intervention, the Foundation reconsidered how its state policy-focused grantmaking strategy could serve as a vehicle to support movement-building in higher education in California. Read more >
Publications & Research
Supporting Student Success Together
In 2021, in response to the long-standing high rates of college student basic needs insecurity that were exacerbated by the pandemic, College Futures Foundation funded 5 community-based organizations (CBOs) – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire, Rise Student Navigator Network, OneFuture Coachella Valley, Braven, and United Way Bay Area – partnering with California higher education institutions to provide holistic student supports. College Futures then engaged Education Northwest, an education research and evaluation firm, in a learning project to examine the capacities, conditions, and strategies necessary to form successful partnerships between CBOs and higher education institutions. Read more >
Publications & Research
Golden Opportunities: Measuring Return on Investment in California Higher Education for Low- and Moderate-Income Learners
At College Futures Foundation, we believe that aligning postsecondary education for economic mobility is an important piece of the puzzle if we want a robust, inclusive economy in California. We also believe that when learners spend their time and money on a postsecondary education, they should see a return on investment (ROI). Yet, ROI measures Read more >
Publications & Research
AB928 Associate Degree for Transfer Intersegmental Implementation Committee, 2023 Final Report and Recommendations
In 2021, California passed The Student Transfer Reform Act (AB 928) with the aim of increasing transfer rates among California community college students by creating an intersegmental committee to reflect, set goals, and establish directions for streamlining transfer programs across all the state’s postsecondary segments. The law called for the committee to be comprised of Read more >
Publications & Research
From Persisting to Thriving: How We Can Act Now to Support College Student Wellness
The publication surfaces critical observations from a scan of California’s policy and funding landscape around college student mental health conducted by our partners at Learning For Action, as well as an analysis of the larger societal narratives shaping policy and funding decisions. A companion to our recently released report Degrees of Distress, this new brief also identifies the roles advocates, policymakers, practitioners, and funders can play to shift how we understand college student mental health, so that together we can effectively advance student well-being and success. Read more >
Press Releases & Announcements, Publications & Research
WEBINAR: Answering Calls for Care in College
Mental health is one of the most critical priorities for college students today. Since the onset of the pandemic and the declaration of a national public health crisis around mental health, students are speaking up about their increased need and desire for mental health support and a holistic postsecondary educational experience where they are valued, Read more >
Publications & Research
Rethinking & Redesigning Dual Enrollment as a Purposeful, Equitable Pathway to College and Career Opportunity
The Community College Research Center (CCRC) released a new publication this week that details a new research-based framework for strengthening dual enrollment programs as an equitable onramp to high-opportunity college and career pathways after high school. The Dual enrollment equity pathways (DEEP) framework, according to the center’s website, “reflects a shift in mindset from conventional Read more >
Publications & Research
Implementing Universal Financial Aid Application Completion in California
“The increasing cost of higher education has made it exceedingly more difficult for students to afford a college degree. Students who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and receive financial aid via a Pell Grant are more likely to enroll in higher education, persist in their coursework, and obtain a degree,” according Read more >
