Ascend at the Aspen Institute

Ascend at the Aspen Institute Founder Anne Mosle set out with a mission to spark and spread breakthroughs in how we achieve intergenerational family prosperity and well-being. For a decade, Ascend has catalyzed a modern two-generation (2Gen) approach. One that intentionally focuses on children and the adults in their lives together, honors lived experience, and encompasses racial, gender, and economic equity through an intersectional lens. We are a community of leaders — well-connected, well-prepared and well-positioned — building political will that transforms hearts, minds, policies, and practices.

We believe in the power of co-creation. Through the Ascend Fellowship, we identify and invest in bold leaders bridging divides and reimagining the levers of power to ensure all children and families thrive. Today, 120 Ascend Fellows are transforming the leadership landscape, from winning historic local, state and federal elections to reinventing systems of care and unlocking capital that opens new doors to economic mobility to revolutionizing our understanding of brain development for parents and caregivers. Through the Ascend Network, more than 500 organizations work directly with families to operationalize 2Gen approaches and design new tools in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico as well as across the globe in Ireland, Rwanda, and Guatemala. Together, we have ignited a movement reaching 12 million families.