Woodward Hines Education Foundation Supports First-Gen College Success in Mississippi with $1.5 Million Grant to FirstGen Forward

The Woodward Hines Education Foundation is focused on college completion in Mississippi, and its funds will allow FirstGen Forward to expand its impact in the state.

JACKSON, MS (January 20, 2026) - The Woodward Hines Education Foundation (WHEF) is funding a five-year $1.5 million grant to First-Gen Forward, the leading organization for first-generation student success. This 2025-26 grant will support expanded access to First-Gen Forward’s extensive programming for Mississippi’s colleges, driving long-term systemic change at institutions across the state through a multi-layered approach.

Nationally, research indicates a significant gap in completion rates between first-generation and continuing-generation students, with completion rates at 24% vs. 59%, respectively. In other words, first-generation students are less than half as likely as their continuing-generation peers to earn a college degree. In Mississippi, first-generation students account for more than 56% (roughly 92,000) of the 164,500+ students enrolled across the state's 32 institutions. FirstGen Forward helps institutions support first-generation students and to close the gap.

“The Woodward Hines Education Foundation is committed to helping more Mississippians obtain postsecondary credentials, college certificates, and degrees that lead to meaningful employment,” said Jim McHale, President and CEO of Woodward Hines Education Foundation. “Our organization believes that supporting the success of first-generation students is a key way to improve the lives and futures of all Mississippians.”

WHEF funds will support institutional transformation through four components: Expert Guides providing coaching to institutional leadership teams; robust data systems that track key momentum metrics; regional learning communities that foster cross-collaboration; and advocacy efforts that elevate first-generation student needs in national and state-level policy discussions.

“This investment will position Mississippi as a leader in first-generation student success,” said Dr. Stephanie J. Bannister, president of FirstGen Forward. “We are focused on supporting the ‘Ascent to 55%’ goal of increasing college degrees, or industry-recognized credentials, and this grant will also allow us to build connections with the local business community to support pathways to family-sustaining employment.”

Mississippi is a key focus for FirstGen Forward in 2026, Bannister said. The grant from WHEF will enable the organization to expand the FirstGen Forward Network in Mississippi from four institutions to 23 by 2030, focusing on the 15 institutions in the Mississippi Community College Board system and all Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the state. FirstGen Forward’s comprehensive strategy addresses the completion gap at its root through institutional transformation, data-driven practices, coalition building, and policy advocacy.

“We’re proud to support FirstGen Forward in their mission to empower institutions to improve outcomes for first-generation students,” McHale said. “One of our foundation’s pillars is ‘Connection to Family-Sustaining Work,’ and we truly believe that the economic mobility that comes with completing a college degree is an essential part of that. We look forward to seeing these institutions transform in the ways they support students, and we are proud to help make that possible.”

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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.

 

ABOUT THE WOODWARD HINES EDUCATION FOUNDATION

Since its inception, WHEF has worked to increase college access and entry for people in Mississippi and has expanded that work to support promising practices that lead to college persistence and completion. The foundation envisions a Mississippi where all people can access and secure the training and education beyond high school that will allow them to advance their quality of life, strengthen their communities, and contribute to a vibrant and prosperous future for the state. Learn more about WHEF by visiting www.woodwardhines.org.