The Crimsonbridge Foundation is pleased to share "Fostering Student Belonging and Connectedness in College: A Scoping Review", the product of a unique research fellowship facilitated through Grantmakers for Education and the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE). Through this partnership, the Crimsonbridge Foundation worked with Summer Fellow, Dr. Janelle Clay of Georgia State University to research what belonging interventions have been used in colleges and what impact they have had on academic success, emotional and social integration, and retention in the last ten years. This study highlighted the importance of fostering a sense of belonging as a pathway to supporting student success, particularly for first-generation and other underrepresented students who may face additional challenges in higher education. It also highlights the need for longitudinal studies on the impact of belonging interventions to understand how they are addressing students' needs for more supportive spaces, community, and connection in college. To learn more, review the Executive Summary and slide deck, which was presented at the SREE and EdFunders 2024 conferences. This research opportunity was available to Grantmakers for Education members through an initiative of their Learning, Evaluation & Data (LEAD) Impact Group.

Access the Executive Summary here

View the slide presentation PDF here.

A hands-on resource guide for schools, dioceses, and funders in taking a whole-community approach to welcome and engage all students and families in Catholic schools. Informed by seven years of grantmaking and partnerships, the Education Imperative Program Guide provides actionable steps for schools and dioceses to make catalytic investments in Spanish and bilingual communications and staffing, parent engagement, cultural competency, and other successful equity and inclusion strategies.

Fact sheet 3 describes first-generation college graduates’ experiences with employment, finances, and additional education four years after they earned a bachelor’s degree. The fact sheet includes median earnings, employer type, and the percentage who enrolled in graduate school. Created by partner, Center for First-generation Student Success in collaboration with RTI International.

Fact sheet 4 describes first-generation college graduates’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, from 2020 to 2021. The fact sheet includes statistics about failing to meet essential expenses, deferment on private student loans, and taking on additional family or childcare, among other difficulties. Created by partner, Center for First-generation Student Success in collaboration with RTI International.

Fact sheet 1 shows the percentage of undergraduate students who were first-generation college students, their parents' median income, their race/ethnicity, and other selected characteristics. The fact sheet also displays the percentage of undergraduates who were first-generation college students by type of minority-serving institution and by college sector. Created by partner, Center for First-generation Student Success in collaboration with RTI International.

Fact sheet 2 describes the experiences of first-generation undergraduate students during the early COVID-19 pandemic, from January to June 2020. The statistics shown include the percentage of first-generation students who withdrew from their college, who had difficulty accessing or paying for food, and who received emergency financial assistance through their college. Created by partner, Center for First-generation Student Success in collaboration with RTI International.

This Guide examines four challenges in college student success, shares high-impact opportunities for individual donors, foundations, donor-advised funds, and philanthropy in general to increase college retention and graduation nationally. Crimsonbridge shares examples of organizations and institutions of higher education that are advancing work in these four areas and shows how funders have supported programs, research, infrastructure and more in these areas. This Guide was released at the premier conference for education funders, Grantmakers for Education, in October 2022.

This national study, produced with support from Crimsonbridge Foundation, examines the unique assets of Hispanic teachers and leaders serving in Catholic schools and investigates pathways to attract and cultivate talent within the Hispanic community.

This fact sheet, produced with support from Crimsonbridge Foundation, is the third in a series of four that summarizes the research findings on career preparation and post-degree outcomes for first-generation students. It shows first-generation college graduates’ enrollment in graduate school after earning a bachelor’s degree compared to continuing-generation college graduates. The fact sheet includes data on doctoral degrees, graduate or professional entrance exams, and participation in a research project.

This fact sheet, produced with support from Crimsonbridge Foundation, is the final in a series of four that summarizes the research findings on career preparation and post-degree outcomes for first-generation students. It explores first-gen and continuing-generation graduates' employment options and financial situation after completing a bachelor’s degree. The fact sheet includes data on the percentage of students that went into for-profit, nonprofit, and government work and those whose jobs required a bachelor’s degree.

This fact sheet, produced with support from Crimsonbridge Foundation, is the second in a series of four that summarizes the research findings on career preparation and post-degree outcomes for first-generation students. It tracks first-generation college graduates’ participation in extra- and co-curricular activities as undergraduates compared to continuing-generation graduates, particularly in research, internships, study abroad, and formal leadership roles.

This fact sheet, produced with support from Crimsonbridge Foundation, is the first in a series of four that summarizes the research findings on career preparation and post-degree outcomes for first-generation students. It breaks down first-generation college graduates’ use of career planning services in comparison to that of continuing-generation college graduates. The fact sheet includes a breakdown of first-generation college graduates in 2015-2016 by race, ethnicity, and age.

This fact sheet, produced with support from Crimsonbridge Foundation, summarizes the findings of Excelencia in Education’s latest research Latino College Completion: United States. It outlines statistics on the Latino population in the United States and explores the enrollment and graduation trends of associate and bachelor degree granting institutions. The fact sheet includes recommendations for increasing Latino degree attainment to 6.2 million by 2030.

This study, produced with support from Crimsonbridge Foundation, identifies key characteristics of Catholic parish vitality in the United States and explores how innovative best practices can be applied to four key areas in parish life: Welcoming Parishes, Young Adults, Women and Women Religious in Leadership, and Hispanic Ministry.

We are driven by the conviction that advancing the nonprofit sector and working to improve education are critical for our youth to succeed, our communities across America to prosper, and for our country to thrive. In this new publication, see how we have worked within and across sectors to develop innovative solutions, invest in successful programs, and work with nonprofits to augment their impact. Learn about programs and initiatives launched, and the ways we have supported and collaborated with community partners far beyond grantmaking from 2015 through 2018.

This case study, told from the funder’s perspective, documents a philanthropist’s path in establishing and maintaining a successful long-term collaboration, offers examples of the unique roles funders can play, and shares insights on actions that donors and foundations can take to ensure partnership success.

This study, conducted with support from the Crimsonbridge Foundation, evaluates Latino education programs at five Hispanic Serving Institutions (HISs) in California supporting undergraduate Latino students. It includes data gathered through interviews with students, faculty, staff, and administrators at each college. The study outlines five cross-cutting themes that emerged from the research as well as lessons learned on culturally responsive approaches to Latino Student Success.

This policy brief, conducted with support from the Crimsonbridge Foundation, covers the results of a roundtable discussion between researchers, policymakers, and college faculty and administrators about what Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) in California can do to promote Latino student achievement and be truly “Hispanic serving.” A few themes that emerged were: HSIs should work to align goals, commit to diversity, adopt holistic approaches, and collect more useful data. This is the first part of a broader study on California’s efforts to improve college outcomes from Latinos.

This resource features a critical part of the Foundation’s work: building organizational capacity by supporting organizations in translating Spanish language web content accurately and professionally; designing Spanish language microsites; and creating bilingual videos. This resource provides tips for reaching Spanish-speaking families through various communication strategies.

Many organizations have been successfully working with Latino communities for decades, while others are learning how best to connect and engage with new communities. Fortunately, there are numerous strategies with proven results. This resource offers ten tips for how organizations can improve and strengthen their communication strategies to effectively engage with Hispanic communities.