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New Funding Prioritizes Equity in Higher Education During the Pandemic and Beyond
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In the first half of 2020, the United States has grappled with both a global pandemic that has closed our campuses and much of the economy and a national reckoning on racial inequity. As our postsecondary systems navigate uncharted territory online, the educational futures of many of our country''s underserved student populations, particularly those from low-income families and students of color, are at risk.
ECMC Foundation has responded quickly to expand its founding commitment to equity in postsecondary education. Since our inception five years ago, we have invested more than $164 million in programs and institutions that can improve outcomes for students from underserved backgrounds in postsecondary programs.Through rapid response grants, emergency aid, and new commitments that center racial equity in our investment strategy, we are working to ensure that higher education is accessible to all students, now and in the future.
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ECMC Foundation Grants $17 Million in 2020 So Far to Organizations Working to Advance Educational Equity
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In the first half of 2020, ECMC Foundation committed nearly $17 million to advance the postsecondary outcomes of students from underserved backgrounds. Since the COVID-19 pandemic closed campuses and brought a wave of uncertainty about the educational futures of many students, we:
- Launched a Rapid Response Small Grants program. From development to award, ECMC Foundation swiftly moved to disburse nearly $600,000 to 65 organizations in two weeks after the pandemic shut down campuses. Read more.
- Committed more than $1.5 million in emergency aid grants. In collaboration with national and regional foundations, ECMC Foundation will provide funding for four organizations to facilitate emergency aid to nearly 3,000 students and provide resources for more than 100,000 students. Aid will support students with unplanned financial expenses and emergencies related to sudden lack of housing, food, healthcare, technological access and other essential supports. Read more.
In addition to our grantmaking in response to COVID-19, we also continued investing in projects that are working to achieve systemic change, granting $8,174,383 in February and $4,390,000 to organizations in April, with additional funds distributed over the last 6 months.
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Grantee Spotlights: Leaders & Programs That Inspire Us
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Pivot to Success, a pilot program of Skills for Chicagoland's Future, gives young adults opportunities to start stable, long-term jobs while simultaneously growing professionally by earning a degree or advanced certification.
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When Estela Bensimon founded the Center for Urban Education (CUE) at USC's Rossier School of Education, "everyone was talking about diversity and how to increase access for Black and Latinx students. But nobody was talking about equity in outcomes for those students," she says.
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ECMC Foundation''s COVID-19 Response Leverages Our Collective Strength
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As funders, how can we rise to this challenge and be the best stewards of our mission? We strongly believe that philanthropy is uniquely positioned to provide funding to mitigate loss and offer relief. We also believe philanthropy can play an even more impactful leadership role in the communities we serve if we come together and leverage our collective strength, resources and talent.
Here are a few ways we worked to bring our collective strength to bear on the challenges that confront our field.
Using social media to lift up the needs of students and grantees
On May 7, ECMC Foundation hosted its #ECMCFchat on Twitter with more than 50 of our partners joining to share insights about the challenges and solutions for students and higher education amid the COVID-19 pandemic. From ensuring students have access to needed technology and broadband internet to helping organizations shift their operations online, we heard from many of our partners about how to better support students and the higher education community during the pandemic and beyond. Read highlights from the chat.
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Facilitating conversations in the field
ECMC Foundation staff spoke on several webinars on how higher education and philanthropic institutions can better support students during the pandemic and beyond. ECMC Foundation President Peter J. Taylor moderated a discussion hosted by the American Council on Education, "Helping Students Prepare for and Navigate the Transformed Job Market after COVID-19," while Angela Sanchez, Program Officer on College Success, moderated a virtual panel hosted by Grantmakers in Education, "Crisis and Response: the Impact of COVID-19 and the CARES Act on Postsecondary Education."
Promoting the voices of foster youth during the pandemic
ECMC Foundation funded Fostering Media Connections to lift up the voices of the thousands of college students that are current or former foster youth currently being displaced by the pandemic. The majority of the grant will be used to make sure that these young scholars' voices are heard through Op-Eds, stories and other media to be published in FMC's national news site covering child welfare, The Chronicle of Social Change. "As a former foster youth, school was the only thing I felt no one could take away from me," says Raquel Wilson, manager of FMC's Youth Voice program. Read more.
Supporting entrepreneurs driving real outcomes for adult learners
The public health crisis and economic shock brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic-and the acute impact the upheaval on both fronts has had on the most vulnerable members of our society-calls for innovation now more than ever. ETF@JFFLabs, the investment arm of JFF, is meeting this opportunity by providing financing to entrepreneurs who are building scalable, high-growth companies that assist underserved adult learners-those overlooked by traditional workforce and education systems, technologies, and market players. Read More.
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#InvestInWomen Event Goes Virtual
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Our third program in partnership with Chloe Capital was scheduled to be held in Charlotte, NC. Given the circumstances we decided not to cancel, or even postpone. Now more than ever we must #InvestInWomen, and we were honored to celebrate the female founders defining the Future of Work & Education at a virtual event on May 17.
In the last ten months, ECMC Foundation and Chloe Capital have deployed over $1.25 million to female founders around the country.
>> Read how one of the inspiring women founders, Jennifer Kushell of Exploring Your Potential, is motivating students to think about their future career path during a pandemic.
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- The Chronicle of Higher Education interviewed ECMC Foundation President Peter J. Taylor in "How the Coronavirus Is Prompting Higher-Ed Grantmakers to Change Course"
- Stanford Social Innovation Review included insights on fostering long-term partnerships from Vice President of Programs and Strategy Lynn Alvarez in "Building Capacity for Sustained Collaboration."
- eCampusNews published an op-ed on the importance of recognizing the mental health needs of students co-authored by Senior Program Director of College Success Sarah Belnick and ECMC Vice President of Student Success and Outreach ("Honoring Mental Health Month by Supporting Students in Need").
- The 74 Million published an op-ed co-authored by Senior Program Director for Career Readiness Jennifer Zeisler ("Analysis: Investing in the Education of Student Parents Benefits Everyone. Here are 4 Ways Philanthropy Can Help")
- EdSurge published an op-ed from Director of Program-Related Investments Jessica Haselton ("Investing in Women-Led Edtech Startups Is More Than a Matter of Equity. It's Also Good Business.")
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