Each year, nearly 17,000 community college students participate in Tennessee Reconnect (TNR), which allows adults to attend eligible colleges free of tuition and mandatory fees. However, many adult students face obstacles to persistence. In 2019, fewer than half of Reconnect students persisted as Reconnect students the following year. This paper describes how in the wake of COVID-19, two colleges piloted a series of innovative, low-cost strategies designed to promote Reconnect persistence. In spring 2020, students at Nashville State and Pellissippi State received targeted "nudges"--targeted emails, texts, and other alerts that reminded TNR students about key eligibility requirements, connected students to resources and support services, and prompted students to reapply. After these nudges, Reconnect reapplication and persistence rates rose. More students submitted Reconnect reapplications, and reapplications were submitted earlier. At Nashville State, persistence rates for Reconnect students increased from 38% to 53%, and at Pellissippi, TNR persistence rose from 47% to 53%. While rising persistence rates at these colleges may be attributed to several support strategies, reapplications for TNR surged in the weeks immediately after targeted nudges were provided. [This paper was created in partnership with Nudge4 Solutions Lab and ideas42.]