September 10, 2024, Lafayette, CO. — Last Mile Education Fund, the only nationwide safety net fund for late-stage tech students, announced a $1,000,000 grant from Google.org to expand their reach and broaden impact. This grant complements Google's 2023 commitment, and will provide emergency and completion grants for computing students, ensure class of 2025 and 2026 grantees are equipped with preparation in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning to prepare them for the changing tech workforce, and support research to understand the unique experiences of low-income students pursuing tech degrees and careers.
The Last Mile Education Fund invests in degree attainment for striving, low-income students in high-demand STEM disciplines like tech and engineering. Since 2020, Last Mile has strategically expanded their scope to include nearly all financially-vulnerable tech students in the ‘last mile’ of their educational journey. This latest round of funding from Google widens the path to graduation for even more students, bringing new waves of tech talent into the workforce faster.
Efren Lopez, Last Mile grantee and recent Computer Science graduate, received crucial tuition and living expense support from Google’s funding in 2023 during his senior year. “Organizations like SHPE, HSF, and Last Mile were key to my success,” Lopez reflected. “They saw the effort behind my smile and provided lifelines when I was on the brink of giving up. Today, I’m a Gator grad and a proud dad. This moment means everything to me; it represents the hustle, the late nights, and the dreams I’ve turned into reality."
“We are proud to expand our support for the Last Mile Education Fund and their unique approach to incubating striving tech talent,” said Shanika Hope, Director of Education for Social Impact) at Google.org. “The insights Last Mile gleans from these students’ tech education journey will help the entire ecosystem understand and therefore better support students who have put in the work towards a demanding degree and are so very close to graduation.”
This grant, among others, was announced at the Google.org Impact Summit (Accelerating Google.org’s future impact with AI), a gathering of nonprofit leaders, funders, academics, and educators discussing some of the most exciting applications of technology for social impact today.
“Last Mile is thrilled to be among the many outstanding organizations supported by Google,” said Ruthe Farmer, founder and CEO of the Last Mile Education Fund. “This grant will enable us to invest in many more high-potential tech students and grow our understanding of the unique pathways and experiences of Last Mile grantees, with the end-goal data-backed policy and systems change.
Since 2020, Last Mile Education Fund has awarded over $9 million in grants to striving STEM students facing financial obstacles to graduation, with the average investment being just $1100. The top needs are tuition, rent, and bills, as 65% of applicants report facing food insecurity during college. Learn more at lastmile-ed.org.