Ed Fund Expands College Access Role

The Ed Fund, through its acclaimed College Access Program, has 20 years of experience helping thousands each year to successfully enter college.  By partnering with the newly-formed Graduate Philadelphia initiative, the Ed Fund brings this expertise to assist more Philadelphia citizens, those already holding some college credits, to achieve their dream of completing their college degree.
“We are enormously excited about this partnership,” notes Carol Fixman, “and are pleased to bring our experience from years of working with students and adults who are often daunted by the prospect of going to college.  This fits perfectly with our mission and also supports Mayor Nutter’s goal of doubling the number of Philadelphians with a college degree.”

The Ed Fund is the operating partner in this initiative and joins two managing partners, The Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board and the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania.  Two major grants from the City of Philadelphia and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation are funding Graduate!Philadelphia. Furthermore, nine partner colleges play an important role: Community College of Philadelphia, Chestnut Hill College, Holy Family University, Neumann College, Peirce College, Philadelphia University, Rutgers University-Camden, Thomas Edison State College and Widener University.

The Ed Fund’s College Access Center at the Gallery at Market East was the perfect place to open the first Graduate!Philadelphia site, and the Ed Fund eagerly agreed to share both its space and expertise. “Our College Access Program,” says Thomasennia Amos, the Ed Fund’s College Access Program Director, “was always open to adults, but Graduate!Philadelphia, with its special emphasis on adults who once started college but were stalled on the path to completion, will encourage more people to give college another try.”   Amos, in partnership with Hadass Sheffer, Graduate!Philadelphia’s executive director, supervises  Graduate!Philadelphia staff Kimberly Stephens, Director of Higher Ed Partnerships and Services and Monique Gilchrist, Program Manager.

Visit the Graduate! Philadelphia website: www.graduatephiladelphia.org

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