Check out the latest insights from our program team and grantees.
Grantees

Fresh Energy: A Midwest Climate Advocacy Leader
Minnesota-based Fresh Energy has been a leader in climate advocacy for more than 30 years, playing a significant role in what it calls “speeding Minnesota and the Midwest’s transition to a clean energy economy.”
Grantee
Fresh Energy
Ron OJ Parson
Acclaimed director/actor Ron OJ Parson is in a season of radical reflection. In a 50-year career that most creatives dream of, Parson has become one of the nation’s pre-eminent theater directors. Learn more about his work here.

We the People of Detroit
We the People of Detroit is a grantee partner of Joyce’s Environment Program. Learn more about the organization here.

They Got NEXT — Chicago Sinfonietta Celebrates 35 Years
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chicago Sinfonietta, like so many organizations, was forced to reimagine itself, pivoting programming and performances to a fully virtual space.
Grantee
Chicago Sinfonietta

Congo Square Play Promotes Healing, Catharsis in Chicago
Congo Square Theatre is an ensemble dedicated to producing transformative work rooted in the African Diaspora. For 20 years it has committed to telling stories by and for Black people.
Grantee
Congo Square Theatre Company

Building collective power through research
Black Researchers Collective was founded in 2019 with a mission to train and equip communities with the research tools necessary to be more civically engaged and policy informed.
Grantee
Black Researchers Collective
All Insights
-
Content Type
-
Programs
-
Focus Areas
The Dual Enrollment Fund: Catalyzing the Next Chapter of Dual Enrollment Research
A new Dual Enrollment Research Fund launched to usher in a new wave of scholarship focused on equitable dual enrollment policies and practices.
Joyce Statement in Response to SCOTUS Affirmative Action Decision
The Supreme Court’s ruling could unravel the years of progress towards diversifying college campuses. The decisions will hinder colleges/universities from considering race in admission decisions, reversing decades of legal precedent.
Aspen Prize guides giving to community colleges
The rigorous Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence is being credited with guiding philanthropist MacKenzie Scott in her recent barrage of giving to higher education institutions.
New project seeks to improve retention and graduation rates for students of color at University of Illinois: ‘They have a platform, they have the resources.’
On the heels of a statewide action plan that calls for greater investment in Black college students, a new coalition will examine racial equity at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and offer strategies to improve diversity.
Source
Chicago Tribune
K-12 “toolbox”
School districts across Illinois have received a “toolbox” of recommendations for helping teachers and students rebound from lost learning after a year of interruptions during the COVID 19 pandemic.

Building Bridges to Post-secondary Success in Minnesota
A group of education and workforce leaders in Minnesota released a report with a comprehensive set of recommendations to ensure that more young people earn a post-secondary degree or credential.
Building bridges to post-secondary success in Minnesota
A group of education and workforce leaders in Minnesota released a report with a comprehensive set of recommendations to ensure that more young people earn a post-secondary degree or credential.
Foundation welcomes Williams, Khimm and Ezeigbo
Foundation hires new Gun Violence Prevention & Justice Reform and Education & Economic Mobility program officers, and Culture program director.
Chibuzo Ezeigbo Joins Foundation’s Education Team
We are delighted to announce that Chibuzo Ezeigbo, a Harvard Strategic Data Project fellow, is joining the Joyce Foundation to oversee the philanthropy’s grant making in college and career readiness.

Op-Ed: Prioritize All College Students, Not Just the Wealthy
The economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic makes it imperative that we address the deep racial disparities in American higher education, even as it worsens our divides and complicates the solutions.
Top Public Colleges Losing Ground in Racial Equity
10 steps recommended to improve poor enrollment trends for Black and Latino students
COVID-19 Stories: Going Virtual with Advocacy
The Minnesota lawmaker was surprised. On a Zoom session with a hundred people listening, a student with eight siblings and only half that many computers at home had a question for her.
COVID-19 Stories: Safeguarding vets – and their own
Veterans were at risk. Often a bellwether of issues in higher education, they needed help with access to GI Bill funds and other financial assistance during the COVID-19 crisis.

Learning Loss Could Set Back a Generation
Rescuing our education systems demands a muscular response, especially if we aim to eradicate inequities.

A College Degree Doesn’t Pay Off Equally for Everyone
A college degree increasingly is the ticket to success in today’s economy. But college doesn’t pay off equally for every student, and our current patterns of enrollment are compounding a lack of racial equity in access.

New Teacher Career Pathways Initiative Launches
Joyce-Supported Effort Aimed at Preparing Today’s High School Students to Become Tomorrow’s Teachers