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Two-generation (2Gen) approaches are paving pathways for children and their families to reach their full potential together. This monthly newsletter highlights 2Gen practice and policy breakthroughs so you can cultivate innovation, collaborate within and outside your organization, and improve outcomes for whole families.
Leading 2Gen With Bold Change Capital
We’re continuing to celebrate the release of the groundbreaking The 2Gen Investment Case: Making the Most of Capital in All Its Forms, a major milestone in the field with key learnings to advance intergenerational family well-being. You can also learn more by joining our deep-dive webinar on April 28th, in partnership with Ascend Fellow, Dr. Raquel Hatter, Managing Director, Human Services, The Kresge Foundation.
The 2Gen Investment Case highlights how $500 million in public and private investments drive two-generation (2Gen) approaches across federal, state, and philanthropic initiatives. It uplifts insights from funders, policymakers, and practitioners who are aligning capital to accelerate economic mobility for families. In a time when the funding landscape is rapidly changing, new models of community-public-private partnerships have the potential to create innovative funding streams and programs working for and with families.
If you haven’t had a chance to dive in yet, now’s the perfect time. The report outlines:
- Key learnings from six federal pilots and six state-led programs
- Nearly $200 million in philanthropic investments supporting 2Gen efforts
- Actionable grantmaking strategies to scale impact
- Opportunities to build strong community–public–private partnerships
- A new resource model and mindset: Change Capital
Student Parent Summit 2025
Call for Session Proposals
Ascend is proud to co-host The California Alliance for Student Parent Success’ upcoming Student Parent Summit 2025. The Request for Proposals (RFP) is now open! We invite you to submit a session proposal that supports, uplifts, and amplifies student parent voices, experiences, and recommendations.
Deadline to submit: April 18, 2025
Upcoming Webinars & Convenings
Ascend fosters dialogue with communities from across the country to build connections, learn from one another, and document promising practices for whole-family well-being.
The 2Gen Investment Case: Making the Most of Capital in All Its Forms
Monday, April 28th
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PT)
Join Anne Mosle, Aspen Institute Vice President and Ascend at the Aspen Institute Founder & Executive Director, and Ascend Fellow Dr. Raquel Hatter, Managing Director of Human Services at the Kresge Foundation, for a deep-dive on the 2Gen Investment Case. Together, they will explore key takeaways from over $500 million in public and private investments, discuss concepts like change capital and community–public–private partnerships, and share insights on using these bold funding models to scale impact for children and families.
Whole Child, Whole Family, Whole System Webinar Series
Wednesday, April 10th
2:00 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT)
Join the PN-3 Capacity-Building Hub at the BUILD Initiative for a conversation on why maternal mental health is central to family and community well-being. This webinar will highlight urgent needs, systemic solutions, and the role of policy, healthcare, and community support – including the role of fathers – in creating lasting impact.
Postsecondary Pathways | Empowering Student Success, Part 2
Wednesday, April 24th
2:00 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT)
Join The Hunt Institute for a conversation on strategies to support single mothers in higher education. Panelists, including Ascend Postsecondary Success for Parents (PSP) Parent Advisor Amber Angel of ECMC, will discuss strategies like building institutional capacity, forming community partnerships, and raising public awareness to support these students. Additionally, the recording of the previous webinar featuring Ascend PSP Senior Program Manager Jennifer Pocai, is available on The Hunt Institute's YouTube channel.
2Gen Stories & Accomplishments
Check out these new stories to inspire and advance how you partner with families.
FamilyAid Receives $90,000 GrantAscend Network Partner FamilyAid received a $90,000 grant from Rockland Trust to utilize their innovative two-generation (2Gen) approach to help families across Massachusetts find and maintain housing by providing wrap-around services for children and parents. |
How Medicaid Supports Families in CrisisGeorgetown Center for Children and Families’ recent webinar explores the important role Medicaid plays, and how current Congressional decisions could impact critical support to parents in crisis, children aging out of foster care, and adoptive and relative caregivers. Check out their accompanying brief as a shareable resource on the topic. |
Columbia's Center for the Transition to ParenthoodExplore Columbia University’s new Center for the Transition to Parenthood website, founded by 2023 Ascend Fellow Dr. Catherine Monk, that provides a research-to-practice hub to support perinatal clinicians in providing enhanced 2Gen care. Updates to this work can also be followed through their newsletter. |
MOMS PartnershipNew findings from the Child Study Center in the Yale School of Medicine show strong results and high fidelity in the first phase of scaling Ascend Network Partner, MOMS Partnership, a program model designed to support mothers well-being and economic mobility. Early findings indicate significant reductions in depressive and anxiety symptoms and increased participation with mental health supports. |
Recent Research & Reports
Our 2Gen Resource Library has hundreds of free and evidence-informed materials to advance your 2Gen work. Read these new resources authored by Ascend staff, Ascend Fellows, and partners about building family well-being.
Early Childhood Governance Landscape
The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center at Vanderbilt University, led by 2023 Ascend Fellow Dr. Cynthia Osborne, has released a new interactive tool showing how early childhood programs are organized across all 50 states and D.C. The tool includes a case study on New Mexico’s consolidated governance structure.
Supporting Student Parents in Higher Education
Santa Fe Community College, an Ascend Network Partner, released a Family-Friendly Campus Guide as part of its work with the New Mexico Student Parent Alliance. The guide supports colleges in creating environments that better serve student parents.
Supporting Kinship Care to Increase Stability and Outcomes for Children
Ascend Network Partner LANL Foundation, recently released a report to highlight the important role that kinship care plays in supporting the increased stability and stronger outcomes for children and their families. The report, for which Ascend Fellow Jovana Archuleta served as an editor, elevates five key layers of support that kinship families need to thrive. The report is an important tool for state and national partners as momentum gains in New Mexico to pass a bill in the legislature to establish a pilot program to assist kinship caregivers.
Child Homelessness Intercept Mapping and Engagement: 2024 Impact Report
FamilyAid, an Ascend Network Partner, shares insights from CHIME, a collaborative initiative designed to improve systems for children and families experiencing homelessness. Their annual community self-assessment revealed a 91% increase in participants’ awareness of resources for accompanied children experiencing homelessness.
Navigating the Impact of Federal Spending Cuts
The Kresge Foundation’s Social Investing Practice invests across sectors and recognizes the growing challenges nonprofits face due to recent federal spending cuts, which are straining their financial stability and impact. To help organizations navigate this uncertainty, Kresge has partnered with leaders across various fields to offer six strategies aimed at strengthening their financial foundations and safeguarding the future impact of their work.
Contribute to the 2Gen Movement
Embedding family voice and community input are core to making a 2Gen approach relevant, accessible, and effective. Help us learn from your work and elevate your community's expertise on a national level.
The Aspen Institute Ascend Network is a community of more than 600 organizations from across the US and beyond that uses 2Gen approaches in their work so that children and families can reach their full potential. The Ascend Network connects leaders from across sectors with diverse areas of expertise so that we build relationships, spark connections, and co-create innovative solutions that lead to better outcomes for families. If your organization isn't already in the Network, take a 15-minute survey to join.
Thank you for all the work you do to improve outcomes for children and their families.
Best,
Sarah Haight
Director, 2Gen Practice
Ascend at the Aspen Institute
Stephanie Brueck-Cassoli
Senior Program Manager,
Ascend at the Aspen Institute
Jordan Colvin
Program Associate, 2Gen Practice
Ascend at the Aspen Institute
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