NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Modern States Education Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to making a high-quality college education accessible and affordable to everyone, today announced that it received $450,000 in new grant funding from the Cinelli Family Foundation and Martha Holden Jennings Foundation to strengthen its course offerings and expand opportunities for learners to earn college credit at no cost.

“Modern States is built on the belief that every learner should have access to high-quality college courses, regardless of income or background,” said Steve Klinsky, founder and chief executive officer of Modern States. “Support from the Cinelli Family Foundation and Martha Holden Jennings Foundation will help us strengthen our course catalog and create new opportunities for students to begin earning college credit earlier at no cost. These investments advance a shared aspiration: that a college degree should be accessible and affordable for everyone.”

The Cinelli Family Foundation awarded Modern States a $400,000, one-year grant to support the development of new courses and subject areas, as well as improvements to Modern States’ existing offerings. The funding will enable Modern States to create updated, more engaging learning experiences that prepare students to demonstrate their knowledge, earn college credit and reduce the cost of completing a degree.

“One of the Cinelli Family Foundation’s guiding principles is to ensure all young people are on a path to economic mobility, and one of the hurdles students face today is the high cost of post-secondary education,” said Janet Cinelli, executive director, Cinelli Family Foundation. “By supporting Modern States’ mission, more students will be able to earn college credits for free via Modern States’ online courses and the CLEP exam program, which will defray their cost of higher education. Naturally, it is important these classes are up to date and engage learners in the process. We are proud to partner with Modern States and the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation in this initiative.”

The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation is investing $50,000 to expand access to early college credit for Ohio high schoolers. The support will enable collaboration with Cleveland Heights High School, in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, where students will have access to Modern States courses to prepare for CLEP exams and potentially earn college credit while still in high school.

The initiative will also support the development of a toolkit and professional learning model designed to help schools implement Modern States and CLEP opportunities effectively in other schools. The effort will prioritize first-generation and low-income students who may have limited access to Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or other advanced coursework.

“At the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, we believe every student should have meaningful opportunities to build a strong foundation for their future,” said Dr. Renee Willis, executive director. “Through this pilot, we are pleased to support an approach that gives even more students the opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school, opening new pathways to success and helping make higher education more accessible and affordable.”

Modern States offers free, self-paced courses designed to prepare students to earn college credit through the College Board’s College-Level Examination Program, commonly known as CLEP, which is accepted at nearly 3,000 colleges and universities. The courses are taught by college professors and available to learners anywhere, at any time. Modern States also pays the CLEP exam fee for learners who complete its coursework and meet program requirements.

Modern States has served more than 900,000 users since its launch in 2017 and has helped learners save close to $300 million in tuition costs. In the past year alone, learners passed nearly 35,000 CLEP tests at a pass rate of 63%, earning the equivalent of 15,000 years of free college.

View the full list of Modern States’ college-level courses here.

About Modern States Education Alliance
Modern States is a nonprofit dedicated to making a high-quality college education accessible and affordable to all. It offers a digital public library of 32 online courses, taught by college professors and designed to prepare learners for CLEP exams. Learners can take the classes they want when they want and at their own pace and use CLEP exams to validate their learning. Since its founding in 2017, Modern States has paid for learners to take more than 200,000 CLEP exams. To learn more, visit ModernStates.org.

About The Cinelli Family Foundation
The Cinelli Family Foundation (CFF) was established in 2021 to honor the dreams of Al and Sharon Cinelli. Inspired by the transformative power of education and shaped by cancers that impacted the Cinelli family, the Foundation invests in two areas where progress is both urgent and possible: accelerating breakthroughs in blood, breast, and pancreatic cancer prevention and treatment, and supporting education research, innovative programs, and technologies to help reimagine educational ecosystems and radically improve learning outcomes. Based in Lawrence, Kansas, CFF is a national funder driven by the belief that science and learning are among the most powerful forces for human progress. For more information, visit www.cinellifamilyfoundation.org.

About The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation
The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation was established in 1959 to support exceptional teachers and learners in public K-12 schools throughout the state of Ohio. Since its inception, the Jennings Foundation has awarded more than $170 million in grants to support projects and initiatives that foster deep learning and excellent teaching. For more information, visit https://www.mhjf.org/.


Media Contact
Jennifer Leckstrom
RoseComm for Modern States
jleckstrom@rosecomm.com

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