$400,000 grant advances college, career and financial planning for Kansas students and families
The Kansas State College and Career, or KSCAC, and the Institute for Financial Education and Prosperity, or IFEP, at Kansas State University have received a $400,000 Upward Mobility Transformation Fund award to support the Kansas Futures Project, a statewide initiative focused on college, career and financial planning for Kansas students and families.
The award is funded by the Patterson Family Foundation in partnership with the Kansas Health Foundation, which has awarded more than $5 million to Kansas nonprofits through the 2026 Upward Mobility Transformation Fund. More than 100 Kansas nonprofits applied, requesting a combined total of more than $34 million. Recipients were selected based on innovation, collaboration and a commitment to serving regions of the state facing the greatest health and financial disparities.
The Kansas Futures Project helps high school students make informed decisions about education, training and careers. The statewide initiative will integrate postsecondary planning, career exploration and financial literacy while supporting Kansas' new financial literacy graduation requirement.
The project will create a coordinated statewide model that provides schools with shared resources, technology and implementation support while directing additional coaching and resources to communities where students face the greatest barriers to economic mobility.
This marks the first formal partnership between KSCAC and IFEP. The collaboration emerged through K-State's Institute for Community Health and Well-being, which identified postsecondary planning and financial capability as complementary drivers of upward mobility.
KSCAC is a grant-funded program focused on improving economic mobility by ensuring students have the guidance, tools and resources needed to make informed decisions about education, training and careers after high school. KSCAC trains full-time advisors embedded in Kansas high schools who help students develop individualized postsecondary plans, including college, technical training, apprenticeships, military service and workforce entry.
“Our advisors help students turn their goals for life after high school into a plan they can act on,” said Chris Beggs, KSCAC executive director. “The Kansas Futures Project connects financial education with those real decisions: what to pursue, what it will cost and how to get there. We want Kansas students and families to understand their options and have someone alongside them as they take the next step.”
IFEP is helping schools prepare for Kansas' new financial literacy graduation requirement, which begins with the class of 2028. The institute supports implementation through educator training, student programming, curriculum development and financial capability resources. Current initiatives include more than 2,000 peer financial counseling sessions, 147 classroom presentations and 293 educational financial plans.
“Our goal is not simply to help students meet a graduation requirement but to give them the knowledge and confidence to make more informed decisions about college, careers, and the financial implications of those choices,” said Martin Seay, director of IFEP. “Ultimately, this work is about helping Kansas students and families make decisions that contribute to long-term success and financial well-being.”
— Submitted by Susan Heim