Community Giving

Investing in our Madison, Wisconsin, community makes us all stronger.

Ascendium Vice President of Communications and Community Engagement Brett Lindquist (second from right) poses with Black Men Coalition President Corey Marionneaux (center back), Diane Endres Ballweg (second from left) and Black Men Coalition staff.
Ascendium Vice President of Communications and Community Engagement Brett Lindquist (second from right) poses with Black Men Coalition President Corey Marionneaux (center back), Diane Endres Ballweg (second from left), and Black Men Coalition staff.

Ascendium Gives Back

Giving back to the place we call home is a priority for us. We collaborate with local organizations to understand and address the challenges and opportunities facing the Madison community. With their input, we fund education and job training programs that align with current labor market needs, focusing on historically underserved populations. By equipping these community members with essential knowledge and skills, we help them reach their full potential, which strengthens the community as a whole.

Recent Gifts

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Celebrating Culture, Advancing Opportunity

Amount: $626,000 | Date: June 2025

The Center for Black Excellence and Culture is a visionary community-led project designed to uplift Black voices and experiences through arts, culture, leadership development, and wellness. With support from over 1,200 donors — including more than 300 Black community members who helped launch the campaign — The Center has reached its $31 million capital campaign goal, ensuring a fully funded, debt-free construction.

Ascendium was honored to be one of The Center’s early lead donors with a $2.5 million gift in 2022, followed by a second contribution during the campaign’s final stretch to help complete the capital raise. Together, these investments support The Center’s opening and future programming focused on empowering Black communities in Madison, Wisconsin, and beyond.

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Supporting Learners on Their Journeys

Amount: $200,000 | Date: September 2024

Fair Opportunity Project (Fair Opp) aims to ensure that learners from low-income and first-generation backgrounds have the tools to succeed in postsecondary education and workforce training. Through its School Boost program, Fair Opp offers personalized essay reviews, on-demand mentoring, and one-on-one FAFSA assistance to help students navigate complex application processes and secure financial aid.

With Ascendium’s support, Fair Opp is expanding its reach, providing more students with the guidance and resources they need to achieve their education and career goals and removing economic barriers that could hinder their success.

Community Giving BMC

Removing Financial Barriers to Success

Amount: $175,000 | Date: June 2024

Many in our community, especially those who are unemployed, underemployed, or formerly incarcerated, face obstacles to improving their skills and finding stable, well-paying jobs. The Black Men Coalition of Dane County (BMC) is addressing this by collaborating with eCornell, the online learning platform of Cornell University. Through this collaboration, BMC provides free online professional certificate programs to hundreds of learners of low-income backgrounds each year, paving the way for a brighter future.

Support from Ascendium and co-funder Diane Endres Ballweg empowers BMC to expand its impact through education and skill development. Leveraging eCornell’s expertise, BMC helps participants gain valuable credentials, enhancing their employability and fostering community growth and resilience.

GOOD NEIGHBOR GRANTS

While Ascendium is based in Madison, Wisconsin, we have employees who work remotely across the country. To capitalize on the deep knowledge our employees have of their communities, we created the Good Neighbor Grants program. Under this program, employees nominate and vote for local organizations that are going above and beyond to create education and workforce training opportunities. The top 40 vote-getters — 28 in the Madison-area and 12 in remote locations — receive a $25,000 grant from Ascendium to support their efforts.

Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs

Educating the Next Generation of Public Policy Leaders

Amount: $500,000 | Date: May 2024

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, student interest in public policy has skyrocketed in recent years. The La Follette School of Public Affairs aims to meet the high demand for public policy education while preparing more students than ever for careers in public service. Capitalizing on student interest in public policy now could mean solving problems that affect us tomorrow.

This grant from Ascendium supports La Follette in enlarging their capacity to educate the next generation of public policy leaders. Thanks to La Follette’s hands-on training, these leaders can improve postsecondary education at the systems level, thereby expanding opportunities for even more students to reach their academic and career goals.

Literacy Network

Transforming Lives Through Literacy

Amount: $375,000 | Date: January 2024

Supporting new residents with language skill development is critical to maximizing their contributions to their local community and economy. Literacy Network offers literacy services to help those new to Dane County improve their English language skills, reading comprehension, and use of information technology. With improved skills, these adults advance their careers, help their kids succeed in school, become U.S. citizens, and obtain their high school diploma or other degrees.

This grant from Ascendium supports Literacy Network in expanding and strengthening its programs over the next three years. The expanded programming will include digital literacy instruction as well as new English as a Second Language class and tutoring offerings that meet student scheduling needs.

Our Commitment to Wisconsin

Wisconsin Covenant

Over the years, we’ve leveraged our abilities, expertise, and resources to help learners in our home state of Wisconsin succeed. The resulting programs and initiatives are designated as our Wisconsin Covenant® to represent our commitment to Wisconsin.

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Confidential Legal Help

Legal obstacles can prevent people from achieving their academic goals or pursuing certain career paths. Law for Learners connects Wisconsin learners with free, confidential legal help so they can overcome those obstacles and move forward with their life. Founded by Ascendium team members in 2019, Law for Learners is a collaboration between Wisconsin colleges, universities, community organizations, and legal service providers.

Tools of the Trade Apprentice Scholarship

Apprentice Scholarships

Apprenticeships create pathways to family-sustaining jobs and offer the potential for lifetime career growth. However, they can be expensive. To help relieve financial pressures, Ascendium annually awards Tools of the Trade scholarships to eligible construction and industrial trade apprentices enrolled in a Wisconsin technical college. With these scholarships, apprentices can purchase the equipment, tools, and clothing they need to complete their training and secure an in-demand job.

Wisconsin Coalition on Student Debt

Student Loan Help Hotline

Student loans can be confusing, especially with ever-changing federal rules and regulations. Unfortunately, scammers often take advantage of this confusion. That’s why the Wisconsin Coalition on Student Debt and Ascendium Education Solutions created the Wisconsin Student Loan Help Hotline in 2020. This free hotline provides reliable and comprehensive information to borrowers in Wisconsin, allowing them to understand their options and feel confident in their choices.