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California State University – California Community College Transfer Partnerships

From 2016 to 2023, College Futures Foundation (College Futures) supported intersegmental transfer partnerships between California State University (CSU) campuses and California community colleges in their regions. The goal was to increase the number of students transferring from community colleges and completing bachelor’s degrees at the CSU. Recently, College Futures partnered with Education Insights Center (EdInsights) Read more >

Enhancing Holistic Student Supports in California Community Colleges Through Technology and Storytelling

In 2019, College Futures Foundation began working with Phase Two Advisory and The Ada Center to launch a community of practice focused on redesigning student supports that promote student success and holistic wellbeing. Over the course of this partnership, Phase Two Advisory and The Ada Center have produced actionable research, uplifted stories of holistic student Read more >

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 >

News & Commentary

Understanding the Path to Economic Mobility for California’s Learners

California boasts the fifth largest economy in the world and is a national model for progress and equity in many ways. Despite this prosperity, California struggles with some of the highest levels of income inequality in the country. How can higher education serve as a pathway for the lowest income Californians and their families to 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 >