LOS ANGELES — ECMC Foundation, one of the nation’s largest higher education foundations, today announced an update on its grantmaking strategy focused on eliminating barriers to associate degree completion for single mothers, who represent nearly 10% of all U.S. undergraduates. Over the next two years, the Foundation plans to continue its investments in their Single Mother Student Success Initiative, with four key strategies focused on improving single mothers' success with the goal of doubling associate degree completion by December 2025.

“As a single mother who raised two children while finishing my college degrees, I understand firsthand not only the systemic barriers facing student parents, but also their drive to succeed,” said Amber Angel, the ECMC Foundation program officer who oversees the Single Mother Student Success Initiative. “These students are hiding in plain sight because our system of higher education and policies have failed to adequately recognize the shifting responsibilities of work, family, and education, particularly for single women. We’re seeing that real progress is possible and are committed to working with changemaking organizations to once again double college completion rates for single mothers.”

Nationally, there are nearly 4 million students — nearly a quarter of college undergraduates — are raising dependent children, including an estimated 1.7 million single mothers. More than half of student parents (53%) have children under age 6, and 88% have incomes at or below the federal poverty line. Despite the vast unmet need, a growing number of institutions are shuttering on-campus childcare centers: the share of public colleges and universities offering childcare services shrank from 59% to 45% between 2004 and 2019, and fewer than 100 of the nation’s 3,700 community and technical college campuses have on-site Head Start providers. As a result, just 11% of single mothers enrolled in an associate degree program complete their degree within six years of enrolling.

To close this gap, ECMC Foundation launched its Single Mother Student Success Initiative in 2021 with the ambitious goal of increasing associate degree attainment rates for single mother students to 25% within six years of enrolling at a community college by December 2025. For this ambitious strategy, ECMC Foundation will invest in a multi-pronged approach focused on four key strategies; developing permanent data infrastructure and conducting research to identify and better understand the experiences of single mother students; building the capacity of community colleges to better serve single mothers; expanding partnerships between community-based organizations and community colleges; and building public will for single mother students through increased awareness of supportive strategies and policies. 

The Foundation’s single mother student portfolio reflects a diverse cross-section of practitioners, researchers, advocates and storytellers working to build data capacity, raise awareness of single mother students’ challenges, provide technical assistance, scale innovative programs and advocate for policy change. Current grantees include:

• Raising Up : A new five-part docuseries investigating the barriers student parents face when pursuing higher education and the innovative leaders creating generational impact;
• Jed Foundation: A national nonprofit providing technical assistance to colleges on implementing a framework for improving mental health of student parents;
• Generation Hope : A national nonprofit helping young parents earn degrees and support their children’s education and entry into kindergarten; and
• Kids on Campus : An initiative by the American Association of Community College Trustees to increase the number of Head Start sites on community college campuses.

“Investments in single mothers benefit students, families and society: Every dollar invested in childcare for single mother students translates into a projected return on investment of 430% through reduced public assistance and increased tax contributions,” said Nicole Lynn-Lewis, founder and CEO of Generation Hope, who put herself through the College of William & Mary as a single mother of a 3-month-old. "We’re building a movement focused on bringing greater awareness and attention to the challenges impacting the success rates of single mothers in higher education. Removing barriers for single mother students requires resources and services that support them as they balance school, parenting and a multiplicity of other complex demands."

The Single Mother Student Success Initiative — one of the Foundation’s six major philanthropic pillars — aligns with its 16-year commitment focused on eradicating systemic barriers to postsecondary completion. Earlier this year, the Foundation announced its ambitious North Star, directing all of its philanthropic efforts toward the goal of eliminating equity gaps in postsecondary completion by 2040 to ensure underserved learners can achieve social and economic mobility.

“ECMC Foundation invites postsecondary institutions to recognize the rich talents of single mother students and design programs that truly meet their needs,” said Jacob Fraire, president of ECMC Foundation. “Our continued commitment to the Single Mother Student Success Initiative is reflective of our bold vision of a future state where colleges and universities graduate all students at the same rate, regardless of their background.”

For more information about ECMC Foundation and the North Star, visit ECMCFoundation.org.

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About ECMC Foundation: ECMC Foundation is a national, private foundation whose North Star goal is to eliminate equity gaps in postsecondary completion by 2040. The Foundation’s mission is to improve higher education for career success among underserved populations through evidence-based innovation. ECMC Foundation makes strategic grants and program-related investments to support both nonprofit and for-profit ventures, guided by a strategic framework which aims to advance systemic change by removing barriers to postsecondary completion; building the capacity of organizations, institutions, and systems; and transforming the postsecondary ecosystem. Learn more about ECMC Foundation by visiting www.ecmcfoundation.org and our parent company, ECMC Group, by visiting www.ecmcgroup.org.