Additional College Promise Resources

Other scholars and organizations are also engaged in advancing research-based knowledge about college promise programs. Researchers, practitioners, and policymakers who are interested in further understanding college promise programs should consider the work of these other researchers and organizations.

For a comprehensive summary of findings from research on college promise programs see Table A2 in the 2025 MHEC report.

College Promise

Led by Martha Kanter, the College Promise Campaign provided Penn AHEAD with initial seed money to begin its research on College Promise programs and create an online searchable database and map of College Promise programs. College Promise “is a national, non-partisan, nonprofit initiative that builds broad public support for funding the first two or more years of postsecondary education for hard-working students, and ensuring those students have access to quality educational opportunities and supports.”

Campaign for Free College Tuition

Established in 2014, the Campaign for Free College Tuition (CFCT) is a nonprofit bi-partisan coalition of individuals and groups seeking to advance free college tuition initiatives. 

Kresge Foundation: CoPro 2.0

CoPro.2.0 was “a $2.5 million funding opportunity through which Kresge awarded 11 multi-year grants to support College Promise programs that incorporate equitable, sustainable practices into their design.”  

MDRC’s College Success Initiative

MDRC’s College Promise Success Initiative provided technical assistance to College Promise and Free College programs interested in promoting success in college by implementing evidence-based student support practices. Through this initiative, MDRC disseminated best practices and tools to the 300-plus College Promise and Free College programs that exist across the country.

Research for Action: State and Local Promise Programs

A nonprofit education research organization, Research for Action seeks to use research as the basis for the improvement of educational opportunities and outcomes for traditionally underserved students.

State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) Adult Promise Program

In 2016, the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) received support from Lumina Foundation to assess the interest in and feasibility of creating promise-type aid programs geared toward nontraditional, adult students. These programs promise to cover the cost of tuition and fees for eligible students. Initial results from this feasibility study indicated interest in developing these programs.

W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research

The Upjohn Institute plays a leading role in research, evaluation, and data collection activities surrounding the Kalamazoo Promise, an unprecedented experiment in community development that guarantees full college scholarships to potentially every graduate of the Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS).

WestEd: College Promise Project

With the increasing momentum around College Promise comes a growing need to offer professional development, technical assistance, and research to the practitioners, policymakers, community members, and families engaged in these efforts. The College Promise Project (CPP) was designed to meet this need.