2025 Community Collaboration Challenge
Supported by the Leon Lowenstein Foundation.
The NPSS Support Hub and the Partnership for Student Success, with support from the Leon Lowenstein Foundation distributed $163,000 in Community Collaboration Challenge stipends to 23 communities across the country. Awardees used use these funds to support local collaboration in their communities, bringing together a range of stakeholder groups such as local schools, districts, nonprofit organizations, out-of-school programs, colleges, student groups, families, local government agencies, and other community leaders, to start, expand or pilot efforts to bring more holistic supports to students in their communities.
The NPSS Hub received over 250 applications for the 2025 Challenge, more than the combined total of applications received for the two previous competitions. Finalists hailed from all corners of the country in 22 states. Organizations ranged in type from local districts, higher education institutions, and non-profit organizations. Learn more about awardee communities’ work in our 2025 outcomes report.
Awardees Include:
| State | Community Impacted | Organization |
| AR | Little Rock | Little Rock School District |
| AZ | Fort Defiance | Elevate Navajo |
| CA | El Cajon | Steele Canyon High School |
| CO | Estes Park | Estes Park School District |
| FL | Jacksonville | United Way of Northeast Florida |
| GA | Atlanta | Boyz of C.O.R.E., Inc. |
| IA | Dubuque | Community Foundation of Dubuque |
| IL | Chicago | Girls Inc. of Chicago |
| LA | New Orleans | Communities in Schools Gulf South |
| MN | St. Cloud | United Way of Central Minnesota |
| NJ | Newark | Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies at Rutgers University-Newark |
| NY | Greater Johnstown | Greater Johnstown School District |
| NY | Albany | Siena College Center for Academic Community Engagement |
| PA | Chester Upland | Widener University |
| RI | Providence | Women’s Refugee Care |
| SD | Rapid City | Compass, a division of Black Hills Special Services Cooperative |
| TN | Knoxville | University of Tennessee System |
| TX | Victoria | Victoria College Foundation |
| UT | North Ogden | Weber State University |
| VA | Richmond | Big Brothers Big Sisters Services, Inc. |
| VA | Harrisonburg | James Madison University Trio Program |
| WI | Appleton | African Heritage, Inc. |
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