Ascendium Education Group
When we can help people create better lives for themselves and their families, then everyone can reach their highest potential.
That’s why Ascendium Education Group is working to create opportunities for learners from low-income backgrounds to meet their academic and career goals. Our national education philanthropy is one way we aim to help learners achieve financial stability, a fulfilling career, and a stronger community. The other way we do this is by giving back to our communities.
Our community giving efforts focus on supporting the areas where our employees live and work. Because we’re based in Madison, we support nonprofits in the Madison area, in particular. We also support nonprofits in other areas where we have remote employees, such as in Indiana, Minnesota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
We typically provide funds to nonprofits to directly support the services they provide to the public. This helps them launch innovative new programs or expand existing programs so they can have an even greater impact on the community they serve.
In the Madison area, we’ve listened to local nonprofits and learned about several trends they’ve seen, including increased demand for their services caused by shifting demographics. Examples include the gifts we made to Operation Fresh Start and Literacy Network to support the expansion of their workforce training programs.
Madison’s emergence as a technology hub for the Midwest, fueled in part by federal programs, is another trend we’re watching closely. We want to ensure learners from low-income backgrounds have access to the STEM education and training programs they need to benefit from the anticipated economic growth in the STEM fields. For example, we recently collaborated with Black Men Coalition to expand their education and skill development offerings, which includes free online professional certificate programs by eCornell and other providers.
Our employees play a direct role in our community-giving efforts. They share a passion for working together to serve our communities, donating their time, talent, and support through Ascendium Cares, our employee giving program.
Here are some highlights from our employees’ community giving in 2024.
They volunteered over 5,500 hours in their communities through paid volunteer time off and volunteering outside of work hours.
They donated over 1,800 school supplies in our annual Collect for Kids Supply Drive.
They nominated and selected 40 local nonprofits to receive $25,000 grants to support their work, totaling $1 million.
They donated over $132,000 to local United Ways and Community Shares of Wisconsin through our Unite for Our Communities campaign, which included a 3:1 corporate match for every $1 pledged by employees.
Ascendium and its employees believe that strengthening our communities makes us all stronger. As we reflect on 2024 and look ahead to 2025, we continue to embrace the potential we all have to positively impact the places we live and work.
About Ascendium
Ascendium Education Group is committed to making education and training after high school a reality for learners from low-income backgrounds. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we fund initiatives across the U.S. that help learners from low-income backgrounds achieve upward mobility; provide student and employee success solutions to colleges and businesses; invest in education-focused innovations to improve learner outcomes; and provide information, tools, and counseling to help millions of borrowers successfully repay their federal student loans. While we have many roles, we have one goal — elevating opportunity by creating a world where everyone can rise to their highest potential. To learn more, visit ascendiumeducation.org.
