Small Business
Ford Philanthropy, Uber, and Rocket Community Fund Join Last Mile Education Fund to Keep Thousands of STEM Students on the Road to Graduation
Last Mile Education Fund today announced the launch of its Transportation Access Fund, a 3-year initiative to ensure financially vulnerable STEM students can get to campus, internships, and critical learning opportunities—removing a key barrier to degree completion. Ford Philanthropy is joining the initiative as a founding partner, with Uber and Rocket Community Fund joining as inaugural donors.
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New $12 million Transportation Access Fund treats mobility as essential workforce infrastructure, helping 7,700 financially vulnerable students reach classrooms, internships, and careers LAFAYETTE, Colo., July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Last Mile Education Fund today announced the launch of its Transportation Access Fund , a 3-year initiative to ensure financially vulnerable STEM students can get to campus, internships, and critical learning opportunities—removing a key barrier to degree completion. Ford Philanthropy is joining the initiative as a founding partner, with Uber and Rocket Community Fund joining as inaugural donors. Thirty-five percent of Last Mile students cite transportation and mobility challenges as a barrier to persistence. Across the country, transportation disruptions—from unexpected car repairs to limited transit options—can derail students who are otherwise on track to graduate. The Transportation Access Fund provides rapid, flexible support to cover these gaps, ensuring students can stay on track to graduate. "Too often, the final barrier between a student and a degree isn't academic—it's logistical," said Ruthe Farmer, Founder & CEO of Last Mile Education Fund. "Transportation is essential infrastructure for talent. With the Transportation Access Fund, we're ensuring that getting to class isn't what stands between persistence and a career." The Transportation Access Fund builds on Last Mile's proven model of delivering fast, targeted financial support to students in the last mile to graduation in high-demand STEM fields—students who are academically on track but financially vulnerable. As a founding sponsor, Ford Philanthropy is investing in solutions that strengthen the future workforce while expanding access to opportunity for students across the country. "At Ford Philanthropy, we believe transportation access is the key to opportunity. For many students, the simple challenge of getting to class, an internship, or a job interview is what stands between them and the future they've worked so hard to build," said Joe Provenzano, Director of Mobility, Ford Philanthropy. "By partnering with Last Mile Education Fund, we're putting Ford's mobility expertise to work to close that gap and help students reach the finish line." Uber and the Rocket Community Foundation are providing additional support. "Transportation is about more than getting from point A to point B—it's about accessing opportunity," said Joshua Cooper, Head of Culture at Uber. "We're proud to join this effort to ensure students can reach the classrooms, internships, and jobs that shape their futures."