ACCJC Receives $400,000 Grant from College Futures Foundation to Advance Data, Storytelling, and Social Mobility at Member Institutions

Sacramento, CA – The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) is proud to announce an additional $400,000 grant from the College Futures Foundation to deepen its work around data transparency, institutional storytelling, and the social mobility fostered by ACCJC-accredited institutions.

This timely investment supports ACCJC’s continued efforts to highlight how two-year institutions provide value to students in response to a changing federal landscape that includes new earnings thresholds tied to Federal Student Aid eligibility. By leveraging its unique position as a federally recognized accreditor, ACCJC will guide institutions in aligning accreditation, student success, and economic mobility to better serve the students and communities they impact.

The centerpiece of this work will be a series of four convenings, each designed to elevate institutional strategies around ROI, data transparency, and student transformation. The first convening will be held on January 12, 2026, at Kapiʻolani Community College, bringing together faculty, students, administrators, regents, and trustees from ACCJC’s Pacific Island institutions. Three additional convenings will follow during the week of April 13, 2026, for mainland member institutions. Long Beach City College, Skyline College, and Sacramento City College will host. All four events will explore how program-level ROI data can drive institutional conversations around social mobility and student success.

A highlight of each convening will be a featured workshop led by Southwest Wisconsin Technical College (SWTC), winner of the 2025 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Their session, The ROI Story: Advancing Economic Outcomes and Student Mobility – What if no college ever graduated a student into poverty?, will guide participants through a dynamic journey from data to action. Using case studies, interactive ROI mapping, and guided planning, SWTC will share how they redesigned programs, strengthened workforce connections, and embedded accountability systems to ensure graduates transition into living-wage careers. These workshops are more than presentations; they’re blueprints for change. Attendees will leave with actionable tools, templates, and strategies to embed ROI transparency and upward mobility into their own institutional cultures.

Through the College Futures Foundation grant and an internal grant from ACCJC, institutions will receive travel reimbursement to support diverse campus teams attending the convenings, including faculty, staff, students, administrators, and board members.

“This grant allows us to center the voices and data of our institutions as they do the hard work of delivering real value for students,” said Mac Powell, President of ACCJC. “We are proud to support the leadership of our members as they navigate new federal requirements and continue to build programs that drive upward mobility.”

More details about the convenings, expense reimbursement, and registration will be sent to member institutions soon.

ACCJC looks forward to the year ahead and to supporting institutions as they build transparent and outcomes-driven pathways for all students.

For more information about ACCJC and its current initiatives, visit www.accjc.org.

For more information about College Futures Foundation, visit www.collegefutures.org.

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The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) is a federally recognized accrediting commission whose institutional accreditation is accepted as a reliable assurance of quality, allowing institutions of higher education access to federal financial aid. ACCJC is unique in its concentration on public and private two-year degree granting institutions, its geographic range, and its membership. Its current 138 public, non-profit, and for-profit member institutions span Arizona, California, Hawai'i, New York, and the western Pacific and include the largest public higher education system in the US, serving over 2 million students, and one of the nation’s smallest colleges, with 28 students.

ACCJC supports its member institutions to advance educational quality and student learning and achievement. This collaboration fosters institutional excellence and continuous improvement through innovation, self-analysis, peer review, and application of standards.

College Futures Foundation envisions a California where postsecondary education advances racial, social, and economic equity, unlocking upward mobility now and for generations to come. Our mission is to increase postsecondary completion for learners who are underserved. We center learners and their aspirations and needs on the path to achieving their educational goals.

Established in 2005, College Futures Foundation uses a wide variety of human and financial resources and tools—including its average endowment of over $500 million and approximately $20 million in grants annually—to accomplish its mission.

College Futures Foundation: More graduates for a thriving California.