Come to Believe Foundation
Project Title
For project support for start-up grants to create two-year college programs within selective universities
Date
Sep. 10, 2026
Duration
36 months
Description
For millions of low-income students, a high-quality, affordable college education remains out of reach. Pell grant recipients are severely underrepresented at selective institutions, the cost of attendance has far outpaced available financial aid, and completion rates at two-year colleges remain low, with only 16 percent of students ultimately earning a bachelor’s degree within six years. The Come to Believe Foundation (CTB) was founded to address these challenges by replicating a proven model: an affordable, rigorous, high-touch, and holistically supportive two-year college embedded within a four-year university. First established at Arrupe College of Loyola University Chicago in 2015, the model has since expanded to four institutions, with nearly 80 percent of students transferring to bachelor’s degree programs. Of the students who transfer, 70 percent earn a bachelor’s degree within five years, well above the national average of 16 percent. This grant will fund matching grants of up to $500,000 each for four new CTB colleges, creating 1,200 postsecondary seats and serving 6,000 students over the next decade.
Website
Project Title
For project support to implement results-oriented, affordable two-year college models at selective universities for underrepresented students
Date
Dec. 12, 2024
Duration
18 months
Description
Come to Believe Foundation (CTB) is a nonprofit organization formed to provide higher education institutions with an innovative, results-oriented, affordable two-year college model that is accessible to students who are underrepresented at selective universities. CTB’s model is designed to ensure that students complete their degrees with little to no debt an innovative, results-oriented two-year college model provides appropriate academic and wraparound supports for students, leading to both higher rates of success earning two-year degrees as well as an easier transition to a four-year degree programs for interested students. Continued Corporation support would enable CTB to refine its Design Grant program, an innovative cohort-learning model that allows interested colleges and universities to explore the model in-depth and begin implementation in their respective contexts. It would also provide funding for CTB’s “innovation grant program” which provides funds for existing CTB model colleges to strengthen programs and measurably improve outcomes for underserved students.
Website
Project Title
For project support of a cohort learning program evaluating the feasibility of an innovative college model within a cohort of higher-ed institutions
Date
Sep. 14, 2023
Duration
12 months
Description
Come to Believe Foundation (CTB) is a nonprofit organization formed to provide higher education institutions with an innovative, results-oriented, affordable two-year college model that is accessible to students who are underrepresented at selective universities. CTB’s model is designed to ensure that students complete their degrees with little to no debt and are prepared for either a 4-year higher education institution or the workforce. Continued Corporation support will allow CTB to enter into its next phase of growth with a focus on developing a learning agenda about the model as well as launching it in colleges beyond New York State.
Website
Project Title
For support of a design model focused on affordable college completion that will evaluate the feasibility in a cohort of five higher-ed institutions
Date
Sep. 15, 2022
Duration
12 months
Description
Come to Believe Foundation (CTB) is a nonprofit organization formed to provide higher education institutions with an innovative, results-oriented, affordable two-year college model that is accessible to students who are underrepresented at selective universities. CTB’s model is designed to ensure that students complete their degrees with little to no debt and are prepared for either a 4-year higher education institution or the workforce. Corporation support will allow CTB to implement the Design Grant program, a new cohort-learning model that will allow interested colleges and universities to explore the model in-depth and begin to plan for implementation in their respective contexts. This project will allow CTB to gain critical insight into the potential for the model’s replication across the national landscape while also guiding participating institutions toward the launch of the model on their campuses.