Last Mile Education Fund named a finalist in $40 million Equality Can’t Wait Challenge
Last Mile’s innovative model boosts tech sector diversity by investing in low-income college women pursuing computing and engineering degrees
Baltimore, MD; March 8, 2021 — Last Mile Education Fund has been named one of 10 finalists (out of more than 550 applications) in the Equality Can’t Wait Challenge. The Challenge will grant three awards of $10 million each to organizations that enable women — particularly Black, Indigenous and other women of color — to shape policies and perspectives, control resources, and make decisions that will impact workplaces and communities.
Last Mile boosts workplace diversity by ensuring that low-income students pursuing technology degrees can make it to graduation day and launch into the workforce. Last Mile identifies financially vulnerable women in computing majors and provides just-in-time support to ensure basic needs are met, and helps them overcome financial obstacles that threaten their progress.
Only 11 percent of students in the lowest income quartile currently graduate within six years of starting college. For many, college is cut short due to basic needs insecurity including access to food, inability to pay rent or utilities, emergencies like a broken computer or vehicle, or insufficient funds for tuition. Even students with generous scholarships need help because they often can’t cover other expenses associated with successful college participation.
Last Mile soft-launched in late 2019 and expanded rapidly in spring 2020 when many students were stranded without housing and resources as universities closed their campuses to mitigate the pandemic. With the support of multiple investors, Last Mile immediately ramped up to help, distributing $300,000 to more than 350 low-income women in computing majors in 2020.
Philanthropic organizations recognized Last Mile’s swift progress, committing $3 million in investment, leading to an official public launch on January 13, 2021. The organization aims to raise $15 million in philanthropic capital to enable investment in 38,000 students through 2030, diversifying the tech sector and expanding women’s leadership and influence.
“Our mission grew out of over a decade of observing and assisting the journeys of high-potential women in tech, who just needed a bit of help along the way,” shared Ruthe Farmer, Last Mile founder and CEO. “Last Mile is an effort to scale up this critical support for striving students so they can make it to the finish line.”
The Equality Can’t Wait Challenge is hosted by Pivotal Ventures, Melinda Gates’ investment and incubation company, with additional support from MacKenzie Scott and Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. It is managed by Lever for Change, which was launched in June 2020 to accelerate the pace of progress toward gender equality in America.
Last Mile Education Fund helps boost diversity in tech and engineering fields by addressing critical gaps in financial support for low-income, underrepresented students within four semesters of graduation. By providing rapid emergency and gap funding for unexpected financial challenges, Last Mile helps striving, low-income students make it to graduation, so they can launch their careers. Once those students become working professionals, they help generate funding and awareness to help the next group of students coming up behind them. Last Mile is a fiscally-sponsored project of the Digital Harbor Foundation. For additional information, visit LastMile-ed.org and follow us on Twitter.
Press contact, Last Mile Education Fund: Carri Bugbee, 503.770.0216
Pivotal Ventures is an investment and incubation company created by Melinda Gates. We work with organizations and individuals to accelerate momentum where progress has stalled and use philanthropic and investment capital to substantially improve people’s lives.
MacKenzie Scott has posted about her giving at The Giving Pledge, 116 Organizations Driving Change and 384 Ways to Help.
Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies (Schusterman) is a global organization that seeks to improve lives, strengthen communities and advance equity. Our philanthropic vision is grounded in a commitment to pursue justice, repair the world and treat all people with dignity and civility. We invest in efforts to improve public education in the United States, strengthen the Jewish people and Israel, and address the needs of marginalized individuals and communities. www.schusterman.org
Lever for Change, a nonprofit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, helps donors to find and fund solutions to the world’s greatest challenges, ranging from racial and gender equity to economic development and climate change. Building on the success of the MacArthur Foundation’s $100 million competition, 100&Change, Lever for Change customizes and manages open and transparent competitions for donors. In addition, we match donors with nonprofits and social enterprises in our Bold Solutions Network whose solutions to significant social challenges were highly ranked after rigorous evaluation in one of our competitions. Currently, Lever for Change is managing nine competitions, ranging in size from $10-to-100 million, awarding $295 million to grant recipients and strengthening dozens of top organizations. For more information, visit www.leverforchange.org.
Press contact, Lever for Change: Marc Moorghen, 773.789.1714, media@leverforchange.org
Questions about the Equality Can’t Wait Challenge should be addressed to questions@equalitycantwaitchallenge.org.
