FirstGen Forward Looks Ahead to 2026

With funding from both corporate sponsors and national foundations, FirstGen Forward is poised to grow its Network and its impact in 2026.

WASHINGTON, DC (December 15, 2025) - FirstGen Forward is wrapping up a remarkable 2025 and looking ahead to a new year, providing key data and information, expanding its Network, and growing its impact on the first-generation movement. 

In October, FirstGen Forward named a new president, Dr. Stephanie J. Bannister, who has dedicated her career to advancing student success, community building, and leadership development. Bannister previously served as the assistant vice provost for student success at Kansas State University and was most recently the vice president for the FirstGen Forward Network.

“I’m impressed by the work FirstGen Forward has accomplished this year, from sharing significant research on the first-generation college experience to helping close to 500 institutions cement their commitment to first-generation student success, and I’m looking forward to what we can accomplish together in 2026,” said FirstGen Forward President Dr. Bannister.

A key part of the FirstGen Forward mission is providing the data that enables institutions to organize and prioritize support for their first-generation students, and this year, the organization released a series of five landscape research briefs. In partnership with Phase Two Advisory, they conducted a national survey, focus groups, and interview research, gathering insights about the first-generation identity, the experience of receiving support in college, and the ways in which staff are working to solidify their support for first-generation students. All five briefs are available and free for download.

“Supporting first-generation students effectively doesn’t just require new programs; it requires the latest data on how support is structured, measured, and experienced, and I am tremendously proud of our work to gather and share that knowledge,” Bannister said. “Looking ahead to 2026, I’m hopeful that our data will inform the conversations and decisions institutions will make as they expand their commitment to supporting first-generation students.”

The FirstGen Forward Network is a national model for scaling holistic first-generation student success by engaging and empowering higher education institutions to transform the first-generation student experience, advance academic and co-curricular outcomes, and build more inclusive institutional structures. When institutions join the Network, they are committing to the journey not only of solidifying support for first-generation students on their own campuses but also of contributing to the knowledge base on evidence-based practice, leadership engagement, and scaling support. 

“Our Network has grown by 18% percent in 2025, with more than 480 institutions in total. This growth is an accomplishment for our organization, but more than that, this growth is a testament to how far the first-generation movement has come and how important it is for the future of education in our country,” Bannister said.

The growth of the FirstGen Forward Network would not be possible without the support of key funders, including the Gates Foundation, Ascendium Education Group, ECMC Foundation, The Suder Foundation, and Ichigo Foundation. Each of these funders understands that supporting the success of first-generation college students benefits everyone, and they live out that understanding with their contributions to our Network. 

In November, we celebrated the ninth annual First-Generation College Celebration, which saw colleges and universities across the country hold events and bring speakers to campus to commemorate the day and highlight the success and resilience of first-generation students. Thanks to TIAA's support, FirstGen Forward awarded $60,000 in grants to institutions for their Celebration Day efforts. TIAA has also sponsored the Network Champion Convening and the forthcoming First-gen Ready Employer convening, which will be held in Charlotte, NC. 

“FirstGen Forward’s mission to drive student success is having a real impact on completion rates, and we can see the effort paying off in the number of talented graduates ready to fill the economic need in our country,” said Laura Turner, vice president, head of community impact at TIAA. “TIAA is committed to investing in first-generation success and thrilled to partner with FirstGen Forward.”

This year, we also had substantial support from the Scheidel Foundation, Crimsonbridge Foundation, and Yardi, which allowed us to conduct and share the research in our five landscape analysis briefs. These briefs will fuel the conversations we have across our Network in 2026, and we are grateful for the support.

With more than 750,000 first-generation college students, Texas is a top priority for FirstGen Forward. The state’s institutions are navigating significant policy changes that affect student success and retention, and we remain committed to ensuring first-generation students in Texas continue to have the support they need to thrive. In Texas, our work is supported by the Moody Foundation, Abell-Hanger Foundation, T.L.L. Temple Foundation, and the Powell Foundation. Our current body of work with 33 Texas institutions shows that 77% outperform peers in first-to-second-year retention, proving that focused support drives measurable impact. 

As we look ahead to 2026, Mississippi is a key focus. We plan to grow the FirstGen Forward Network from 4 to 23 institutions by 2030—bringing in all HBCUs and the 15 colleges from the Mississippi Community College Board—to help more students complete their degrees and improve economic opportunity. This initiative aligns with the mission of the Woodward Hines Education Foundation, a key funder of our work in Mississippi, by driving credential attainment. By 2031, 72% of jobs will require postsecondary education, so this critical effort positions Mississippi as a leader in first-generation student success.

“The work we have done in Texas and Mississippi shows what is possible with a strong Network and partners who believe in this mission. In 2025, FirstGen Forward worked hard to re-center our mission, strengthen our Network, and advance a national framework for institutional transformation,” Bannister said. “We know that committing to first-generation success requires not only the whole campus but also the whole community, and we are looking forward to leading that community into the new year.”

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ABOUT FIRSTGEN FORWARD

FirstGen Forward is the center for first-generation student success– your premier source for evidence-based approaches, data-informed strategies, professional development, and research. Together, we are building community and belonging through the FirstGen Forward Network, knowledge creation and evidence-based practices, and thought leadership and advocacy, transforming higher education and the student success landscape guided by a first-gen lens.