Announcements & Commentary
Unlocking Economic Mobility for Adult Learners Funding Opportunity
More than 6 million Californians under 65 have some college but no credential—many are working adults over 25. In striving to build better lives, these learners must navigate systems never designed with their realities in mind, leaving many unable to realize the return on their educational investment.
As a cornerstone of our Unlocking Economic Mobility for Adult Learners Initiative, College Futures Foundation is excited to launch a competitive grant opportunity in partnership with Jobs for the Future (JFF), aimed at building momentum, elevating innovation, and driving greater outcomes for adult learners across California.
We will be awarding up to $4 million across a maximum of 10 projects, each supported through a peer learning community shared throughout a two-year cohort.
Funding Opportunity Overview and Timeline
- Funding Opportunity Release: September 29, 2025
- LOI Deadline: October 24, 2025
- Full Proposal Invitations (to a subset of applicants): November 24, 2025
- Full Proposal Deadline: December 15, 2025
- Award Notifications: By February 9, 2026
- Grant Period and Community of Practice: February 2026 – January 2028
Centering learners requires us to work across systems differently, building new partnerships, generating fresh ideas, and pursuing fundamentally better approaches. These shifts can take many forms, including cross-sector collaborations that bring together educational institutions, community-based organizations, and/or mission-aligned private entities to advance economic mobility for adult learners.
Through this initiative, grantees will have the opportunity to:
- Strengthen strategies and improve institutional structures to better serve adult learners
- Build networks and partnerships to enhance collaboration and community
- Generate insights and surface opportunities for policy change
This goes beyond funding—it’s about reimagining postsecondary education systems, surfacing promising practices, and centering adult learner voices that are too often ignored.
Help spread the word so together we can reimagine what’s possible for adult learners in California!
Any questions about the LOI should be sent to JFF.
Watch the Funding Opportunity Webinar
College Futures Foundation and Jobs for the Future (JFF) hosted a webinar on October 7, 2025, to share:
- The vision behind the initiative
- Funding opportunity priorities & details (up to $4M for 10 projects)
- Opportunities for grantees, including collaboration & field learning
- Time for Q&A with College Futures and JFF
