The American Talent Initiative (ATI) is a Bloomberg Philanthropies-supported collaboration between Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program, Ithaka S+R, and a growing alliance of colleges and universities dedicated to substantially expanding access and opportunity for low- and moderate-income students at the nation’s colleges and universities with the highest graduation rates.
Today, ATI includes more than 135 institutions—a mix of public and private colleges and universities from all over the country—committed to enhancing their own efforts to recruit and support lower-income students, learning from each other, and contributing to research that will help other colleges and universities expand opportunity.
For more information on ATI, please visit www.americantalentinitiative.org.
Explore programs and projects building on ATI’s work:
Improving Opportunities for Veterans
Since 2018, Ithaka S+R has made efforts to build support for student veterans in higher education. Our work includes a series of convenings held with the College Board, a report making the case for enrolling veterans at high-graduation-rate institutions, and a blog series highlighting the opportunities and challenges facing student veterans.
Kessler Scholars Collaborative
Ithaka S+R is proud to serve as the evaluation partner for the Kessler Scholars Collaborative, an initiative that aims to empower first-generation students to reach their highest potential and achieve their educational and professional goals. Funded by the Wilpon Family Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Collaborative was expanded in 2022 to include ten additional ATI member institutions. Read our evaluation of the 2022-23 academic year of the Kessler Scholars Collaborative.
The Student Success Research Grant
The Student Success Research Grant, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, supported a cohort of researchers and practitioner-scholars committed to improving postsecondary outcomes for lower-income students. These small grants were designed to spark innovative approaches that advance student success and expand educational opportunity. This series of short briefs highlights key insights and lessons learned across the six funded projects. To explore each project in depth, you can read the full manuscripts published in the Peabody Journal of Education.