Modern States Secures Nearly $2.7 Million in New Funding to Broaden Affordable College Pathways
Carnegie Corporation of New York, Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, and Achelis & Bodman Foundation commit support
NEW YORK, March 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Modern States Education Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to making a high-quality college education accessible and affordable to everyone, today announced that it received nearly $2.7 million in new funding during 2025, anchored by multi-year grants from Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. Additional support from the Achelis & Bodman Foundation will help advance Modern States’ reach and impact. The 2025 funding total includes previously announced multiyear support from Axim Collaborative and Ichigo Foundation.
A longtime supporter of Modern States, Carnegie tripled its support for Modern States with an investment of $900,000 over three years, ensuring Modern States’ capacity to expand its scalable tuition-free, flexible learning in high-potential states like Florida, and for priority populations like military-connected learners. This renewed support will fuel continued innovation in online college-level coursework and CLEP exam preparation.
“What makes Modern States compelling is the combination of proven outcomes and a scalable model: it lowers financial barriers today while strengthening pathways to a degree for the long term,” said Saskia Levy Thompson, a program director for education at Carnegie. “Modern States exemplifies the future of learning – combining the flexibility and scalability of online learning with measurable outcomes that institutions recognize and students rely on.”
The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation also renewed and expanded its commitment, with a grant of $720,000 over two years. Mother Cabrini funds initiatives that address the social determinants of health in New York, including access to education.
“New Yorkers rely on a web of nonprofits that are often the first and most trusted source of support,” said Kathryn Ruscitto, regional grants committee chair of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Board and former president and chief executive officer of St. Joseph’s Health in Syracuse, New York. “These grants help those organizations not only stabilize their services, but expand them, so they can bring care into homes, schools, rural communities, and neighborhoods where traditional systems have not kept pace with need.”
Achelis & Bodman Foundation, a prior supporter of Modern States, pledged $50,000 as a one-year grant, expanding Modern States’ data and research capacity.
“There is an urgent need for more affordable and effective models of higher education. The growth in funding from foundations like Carnegie Corporation of New York and Mother Cabrini Health Foundation demonstrates their confidence in our work and will allow Modern States to continue building our unique model of cost-free, high-quality college courses for credit,” said Steve Klinsky, founder and chief executive officer of Modern States. “Together, their investments and significant 2025 contributions from Achelis & Bodman, Axim Collaborative, and Ichigo Foundation will ensure that in the coming years, tens of thousands of new learners benefit from Modern States.”
Modern States has served more than 800,000 users since its launch, and in 2025 alone helped learners save $59 million in tuition and related costs. Its free, self-paced courses prepare students to earn real college credit via the College Board’s CLEP exams, accepted at nearly 3,000 colleges and universities. The number of CLEP exams Modern States learners pass has grown by 60% over the past two years, and exam pass rates have improved by six percentage points.
View the full list of Modern States’ college-level courses here.
About Modern States Education Alliance
Modern States is a nonprofit dedicated to making a high-quality college education accessible and affordable to all. It offers a digital public library of 32 online courses, taught by college professors and designed to prepare learners for CLEP exams. Learners can take the classes they want when they want and at their own pace, and use CLEP exams to validate their learning. Since its founding in 2017, Modern States has paid for learners to take more than 200,000 CLEP exams.
Carnegie Corporation of New York
Carnegie Corporation of New York was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding. Today, the foundation works to reduce political polarization through philanthropic support for the issues that Carnegie considered most important: education, democracy, and peace.
Mother Cabrini Health Foundation
The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the health and well-being of New Yorkers, bolster the health outcomes of vulnerable communities, eliminate barriers to care, and bridge gaps in health services. Named after a tireless advocate for immigrants, children, and the poor, the Foundation funds programs and initiatives across New York State, including many that reflect a variety of religions and faiths. The grantees provide either direct healthcare services or address the social determinants of health. For more information, visit https://www.cabrinihealth.org/.
Media Contacts
Jennifer Leckstrom
RoseComm for Modern States
jleckstrom@rosecomm.com
Angely Montilla for Carnegie Corporation of New York
AEM@carnegie.org
Mother Cabrini Health Foundation
communications@cabrinihealth.org
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