Last Mile Education Fund Recognized as Global Leader in Social Impact
Named Winner of two 2022 esteemed Anthem Awards in the DEI — Innovation and Responsible Technology — Leader of the Year
Baltimore, MD — Feb. 18, 2022 — Last Mile Education Fund was awarded the Gold Medal for Product Innovation by the Inaugural Anthem Awards Social Impact Celebration. Founder and CEO Ruthe Farmer received the Silver Medal for Leader of the Year in the Responsible Technology category. Farmer was nominated by early Last Mile investor and champion, the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation. Last Mile’s Gold Medal recognizes their innovative approach to “Incubating a New Generation of Technology Talent” in the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion — Innovation category.
The Last Mile Education Fund launched in 2019 to close the graduation gap for low-income students pursuing degrees in the high demand fields of tech or engineering. Just 11% of students from the bottom income quartile graduate within six years of starting college, and 56% of students with three or more years of college report experiencing basic needs insecurity such as food, housing, and transportation. Last Mile provides rapid-response gap funding for low-income tech and engineering students within four semesters of graduation.
“Our big idea is simple — invest in the potential of striving tech students. The ROI is assured and immediate, as they’ve already demonstrated their commitment to a technical career and potential for success,” shared Ruthe Farmer, founder and CEO. “Not only should we invest in these students, we can’t afford not to. This investment benefits the students, their families, the companies that hire them, and society at large.”
In their 2020 pilot, Last Mile distributed more than $300,000 to 350 low-income women in computer science pathways, and in January 2021, launched a $3 million fund for women and non-binary students pursuing tech and engineering degrees. Last Mile has continued to grow and expand their offerings to additionally invest in community college and male students. In just two years, Ruthe Farmer and her team at Last Mile have raised $17 million in funds to unlock this under-resourced and untapped pool of ready technical talent. To date, 90% of Last Mile grantees have been students of color.
“Ruthe Farmer has committed her career to ensuring students — particularly women of color in tech — have the opportunity to reach their full potential,” said Patrick J. McGovern Foundation President Vilas Dhar. “We’re thrilled the Anthem Awards recognized Ruthe Farmer as the Responsible Technology Leader of the Year for her catalytic work at the Last Mile Education Fund, through which she’s supported so many young women in achieving their aspirations. We’re so proud to celebrate this well-deserved award and continue to endorse her work in supporting the next generation of tech leaders.”
“It is our distinct honor to recognize the work that brands, organizations, and individuals are all making to create an impact in their community,” said Jessica Lauretti, Managing Director, The Anthem Awards. “We launched this platform to show the world that all corners of our culture, from sports and entertainment to business leaders and celebrities, are all standing up to say, it is time for systemic change and that social good is what we value as a society.”
The Last Mile Education Fund team will receive their awards at the star-studded annual Anthem Voices virtual conference on Monday, February 28, 2022. Supporters will be able to watch the virtual show on-demand at anthemawards.com.
The Anthem Awards was launched in response to the prevalence social good has taken within the national conversation and cultural zeitgeist in recent years. The inaugural competition received nearly 2,500 entries from 36 countries worldwide. By amplifying the voices that spark global change, the Anthem Awards are defining a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their communities. A portion of program revenue will fund a new grant program supporting emerging individuals and organizations working to advance the causes recognized in the inaugural Anthem Awards.
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About Last Mile Education Fund
Last Mile Education Fund offers a disruptive approach to both social inequality and increasing diversity in tech and engineering fields by addressing critical gaps in financial support for low-income underrepresented students within reach of a degree. Unlike traditional scholarships, Last Mile takes a broad investment approach, identifying students committed to technology and engineering fields, providing agile, just-in-time support for challenges they face beyond their control, and incubating them to be the next generation of innovators. Last Mile Education Fund is a fiscally-sponsored project of the Digital Harbor Foundation. For additional information, visit LastMile-ed.org and follow us on Twitter.
About Patrick J. McGovern Foundation
The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation is a global 21st century philanthropy bridging the frontiers of artificial intelligence, data science, and social impact to create a thriving, equitable, and sustainable future for all. The Foundation’s work focuses on bringing together academia, practitioners, and civil society to pursue the potential of AI and data science to address some of the world’s most urgent challenges.
About The Anthem Awards
The Anthem Awards, the Webby Awards newest initiative, was developed to recognize the breadth of social good work (online and offline) around the globe by honoring the organizations, brands, and people creating long-lasting impact; including, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion; Education, Art, & Culture; Health; Human & Civil Rights; Humanitarian Action & Services; Responsible Technology; and Sustainability, Environment, & Climate. By amplifying the voices that spark global change, the Anthem Awards are defining a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their communities. Founded in partnership with the Ad Council, Born This Way Foundation, Feeding America, Glaad, Mozilla, NAACP, NRDC, WWF and XQ.
Find The Anthem Awards Online:
Website: anthemawards.com
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Twitter:@anthemawards
Instagram: @anthemawards
LinkedIn: The Anthem Awards
YouTube: wbby.co/anthem-youtube
