Grants and Accolades
The Social Impact Collective leverages external grant funds to strategically advance our impact. We aim to build mission-aligned philanthropic partnerships rather than “chase” operational support. Rather, grant funds support the exploration of new initiatives, community outreach efforts, and expansion within learner communities that have historically experienced disparities in educational opportunities and outcomes.
GRANTS
ICONIQ Engine 2, Larsen Lam ICONIQ Impact Award
$1,000,000
With this funding, GEM will experiment with three service delivery models that enable exponential growth while reaching learners around the world. The pilots are designed to expand access to new populations of refugee learners by using an iterative lean approach to develop and test, while closely monitoring the learner experience. This work includes experimenting with an accredited, online-only BA program for refugee learners living anywhere in the world (GEM Online); a micro-course program for learners who are seeking additional workforce skills and areas of specialization (GEM Micro); and an academic preparation program for marginalized refugee learners (GEM Prep).
GEM also received a $250,000 ICONIQ grant to support general needs for the program.
Peregrine Global Foundation
$40,000
During the COVID-19 pandemic, GEM students experienced added barriers to completing their learning. The funding from the Peregrine Global Foundation was granted specifically to address challenges presented by COVID-19, providing resources for Internet access, housing instability, mental health challenges, and more.
Lever for Change Swift Grant
$25,000
With the support of the Swift Grant, GEM will team up with Talent Beyond Boundaries to create an internship and long-term employment program for 150 refugees in Lebanon. The program will also train employers on how to recruit and retain refugee employees. The grants are designed to support collaborative projects by the world’s top problem solvers to leverage their expertise and join forces to find creative solutions in their fields.
The Bean Foundation
$15,000
The grant from the Bean Foundation supported the creation of a culturally inclusive needs food pantry, which can be accessed both on site and through mobile distribution. The pantry was established with the following principles at its focus:
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Prioritize client choice
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Ensure cultural relevance
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Offer education about additional services
Granite United Way
$35,000
The collaboration between SNHU and Granite United Way builds youth engagement partnerships and programs across Manchester, specifically addressing the needs of middle school children and works to provide more enhanced services at no cost.
Shapiro Foundation
$3,900,000
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Dream.US
$2,000,000
Using funding from the Shapiro Foundation and Dream.Us and working with on-the-ground partners (Duet, PelotonU, Rivet, IdeaU and Noble), we are providing full scholarships to DACA Dreamer students to pursue associate’s and bachelor’s degrees through our CBE program. In total, SNHU’s DREAMer program has served 258 students.
Gates Foundation Equity Grant
$4,699,881
SNHU is partnering with the Gates Foundation on three initiatives to incubate and deploy research and development efforts aimed at closing equity gaps. Each initiative serves our target populations by addressing one of the following:
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Persistence: Initiative 1 — Equity Design for Low-Income and Racialized Learners)
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Participation: Initiative 3 — Accelerating Community Partners’ Growth for Underserved Audiences
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Advancement of the Sector Through Innovation: Initiative 2 — R&D to Build a PLA Machine Prototype
Additionally, Initiative 1 is designed to help SNHU advance its equity capacities in the long term by providing a thorough review of its current learner journey through an equity lens. Based on learnings from the equity assessment, we will then deploy a test and learn approach to identify asset-based practices that increase student persistence and success for low-income and racialized learners.
Chicago CRED
$1,000,000
Chicago CRED is a violence prevention initiative spearheaded by former U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan; it partners with community agencies on the West and South Sides of Chicago. The program offers holistic wraparound services including job training to disconnected young men in need of support. The funding provides scholarships to young men who were formerly incarcerated or who were victims of violence. It also engages Chicago CRED as a community-based partner for our work, and helps us offer a better understanding of the support services provided by SNHU's Global Campus.
Congressionally Directed Spend Request: Chandler Center
$250,000
The Chandler Center is slated to receive $250,000 from a congressionally-directed spend request to expand basic needs work on campus.
Congressionally Directed Spend Request: The Center for New Americans
$233,100
Senator Jean Shaheen and the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a $233,100 congressionally-directed spend request to study and expand ESL at The Center for New Americans; a final vote is pending.
Congressionally Directed Spend Request: Higher Education in Incarcerated Settings in New Hampshire
$170,000
The appropriations legislation includes $170,000 for Southern New Hampshire University to advance postsecondary opportunities for incarcerated individuals in the state.
ACCOLADES
Courtney Perron, director of The Center for New Americans, was honored by the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation as one of their 2021 AmplifiHER Honorees.
The Center for New Americans Center was featured in The Union Leader’s pandemic innovators edition.
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New colleges open even as enrollment falls and campuses close elsewhere — The Washington Post
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PelotonU Announces National Expansion to Provide a Path for Today’s Students to Earn a Degree — PelotonU
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A Degree of Hope: Program helps remove obstacles to getting a college degree — Cincinnati Local 12
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Combining Online Courses With In-Person Supports, ‘Hybrid Colleges’ Unite — EdSurge
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Hybrid college degree completion program launches in Detroit — Crain’s Detroit Business
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‘Hybrid College’ in Newark Has Online Courses, In-Person Support — Patch.com, Newark, NJ
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Hybrid Colleges: A New Model for Today’s Student — Michael & Susan Dell Foundation
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PelotonU Equips Adults for In-Demand Careers — Michael & Susan Dell Foundation
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College Reimagined: Can a New Model Help Close Higher Education’s Equity Gap? — Harvard Kennedy School Program on Education Policy and Governance Paper
3 ways to lower the barriers to higher education — TED Talk by Adrian K. Haugabrook, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of the Social Impact Collective