How Small Awards Create Extraordinary Impact
Last Mile’s Social Return on Investment, Explained
by Ruthe Farmer, Founder & CEO
Last Mile Education Fund was founded on the simple belief that small, timely investments can multiply into life-changing, economy-shaping outcomes. When a student is just a few semesters away from a STEM degree, the difference between finishing college and being derailed often comes down to a few thousand dollars — closing that gap yields extraordinary returns..
The Moment That Changes Everything
Last Mile’s average award is $2,162 — for many students, it’s the difference between finishing their degree or having to walk away just short of the finish line. Once that barrier is removed, everything else changes. With a degree in hand, a student’s earning power, stability, and opportunity multiply almost overnight.
From a $2,162 Award to a $32,000 Annual Difference
The average starting salary for a Last Mile graduate is $59,469, compared to $27,010 for someone who leaves college without a degree. That’s a $32,459 annual difference — every single year. So in year one alone, that $2,162 investment generates more than fifteen times its value in new income. By year two, the return doubles again. It’s not a one-time boost — it’s the beginning of an entirely different economic trajectory.
Compounding Value Over a Decade
Career growth accelerates the gap even further. Over ten years, that $32,000 annual advantage adds up to roughly half a million dollars in cumulative income difference between a graduate and a dropout. Now imagine that across over 12,000 students Last Mile has served so far. That’s billions in additional lifetime earnings generated from modest, targeted awards.
The Ripple Effect — Tax Revenue and Community Strength
Higher incomes don’t just transform individual lives — they strengthen entire communities. Over ten years, a degree holder contributes about $197,926 in taxes, compared to $63,370 for someone without a degree. That’s an additional $134,556 per graduate flowing back into public schools, roads, healthcare, and local economies. Multiply that by thousands of Last Mile graduates, and you get a powerful picture of how education fuels shared prosperity.
A single $2,162 award helps a student graduate, which increases earnings by roughly $500,000 over ten years — generating nearly $135,000 more in taxes — all from an initial investment smaller than the average monthly rent.
The Social Return on Investment
When economists look at this through a social-impact lens, the result is clear: every $1 invested through Last Mile yields $246 in social and economic value over ten years. That includes increased lifetime earnings, higher tax contributions, reduced reliance on public assistance, and the broader benefits of a skilled, stable workforce.
It’s hard to find another investment — philanthropic or financial — that can match that kind of return with such low risk.
Why It Works
Traditional financial aid wasn’t built for today’s students. Many of our awardees are first-generation, working part-time, supporting families, or attending community colleges where access to emergency aid is limited. They aren’t failing academically — they’re navigating systems that weren’t designed for them.
Last Mile changes that equation. We provide rapid-response, no-strings-attached funding within days — not months — because we know that timing is everything. We trust students to know what they need most, and we deliver flexible support that meets them there.
The Workforce Multiplier
Graduation doesn’t just benefit the student or the state — it strengthens the nation’s innovation pipeline. Our graduates go on to work at companies like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta, and NASA — powering industries critical to the economy and national competitiveness.
Each degree represents a skilled technologist who might otherwise have been lost to financial instability. The ripple effect extends into the workforce: employers gain talent, industries close gaps, and economic mobility accelerates for the next generation.
Scaling the Model
The numbers prove that small, strategic investments yield extraordinary outcomes. Since 2020, Last Mile has supported more than 13,000 aspiring technologists, confirming a 74% graduation rate — nearly triple the national average for financially vulnerable students.
At scale, this is infrastructure for opportunity and a model for how the nation can close talent gaps, strengthen the economy, and build pathways that work for today’s students.
Common Sense, Extraordinary Impact
The logic is simple, and the math speaks for itself:
$2,162 average award → $32,000 annual salary boost
$500,000 ten-year income gap → $134,000 more in taxes paid
$1 = $246 in social and economic value
We call this the Last Mile Effect — a proof point that smart, timely investment in people pays dividends for everyone. When students graduate, they don’t just lift themselves — they lift families, communities, and the industries that drive our future.