The 24-month investment will help Basta reach more than 100,000 students, expand across four regions, and improve first-job outcomes for first-generation talent nationwide.

NEW YORK, April 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Basta today announced that it has received an $800,000, 24-month grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York to expand its work connecting first-generation college students to strong first jobs, accelerating their economic mobility.

The investment comes at a defining moment for first-generation students entering the workforce. As entry-level hiring becomes more competitive, fragmented, and dependent on networks and insider knowledge, these students continue to face steep structural barriers in the labor market.

Basta addresses this challenge at a pivotal point: the leap from college to career. Through proven career guidance, employer partnerships, and personalized, AI-powered job search technology, Basta equips first-generation students to build the skills, access, and momentum needed to secure strong first jobs, intervening before early underemployment can shape long-term earnings and advancement.

With support from Carnegie Corporation of New York, Basta will scale its reach to more than 100,000 students, expand across four regions nationally, and strengthen partnerships among students, colleges and universities, employers, and intermediary organizations. Through the grant, Basta will increase internship and career-pathway jobs attainment for participants at rates that outpace national averages.

"Too many first-generation students do everything right in college and still face a transition into the workforce that is confusing, fragmented, and driven by networks they were never taught how to access," said Sheila Sarem, founder and CEO of Basta. "For the past decade, Basta has focused on closing that last mile between college and career. Carnegie Corporation of New York's investment allows us to scale a human-centered, AI-powered model that helps more students land strong first jobs."

"Turning a credential into a career requires access, networks, and support that many first-generation students lack. Basta is building that infrastructure," said Saskia Levy Thompson, program director for Education at Carnegie Corporation of New York. "Strong first-job outcomes are among the clearest predictors of upward mobility, and Carnegie is delighted to support interventions moving the needle."

Over the next two years, the grant will also enable Basta to track important shifts in the entry-level job market, generating insights that can help colleges, employers, and partners better support first-generation talent.

Because access to opportunity is still too often driven by social capital, closing the first-generation employment gap will require more coordinated action across higher education, philanthropy, and industry. Carnegie's investment helps advance that broader effort to create a strong, more connected ecosystem for first-generation talent to thrive.

About Basta
Basta helps first-generation students turn college degrees into strong careers by transforming how they enter and advance in the workforce. Basta's flagship platform, Seekr, is powered by millions of data points from more than 70,000 first-generation career journeys and combines precision matching, personalized guidance, and structured pathways to help students secure strong first jobs. With a presence on 300+ campuses, Basta helps institutions scale career support while connecting employers to high-performing talent that traditional hiring systems often overlook. Basta advances economic mobility for first-generation students nationwide. Learn more: www.projectbasta.com  

About Carnegie Corporation of New York
Carnegie Corporation of New York was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding. Today the foundation works to reduce political polarization through philanthropic support for the issues that Carnegie considered most important: education, democracy, and peace. Learn more: www.carnegie.org

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SOURCE Basta