Last Mile Support for Emerging STEM Talent
Transportation Insecurity Should Not Derail Degrees
Getting to class shouldn’t stop students from graduating. Yet every year, thousands of high-potential STEM students stall out—not because they can’t keep up academically, but because they can’t get to class. Transportation is the invisible obstacle that isn’t covered by financial aid, yet derails promising engineers, technologists, and analysts just months from graduation.
35% of Last Mile applicants—within 6–18 months of earning STEM degrees—report transportation challenges as a major barrier. For many, a blown tire, a broken alternator, or a missed bus isn’t an inconvenience—it’s the difference between finishing a degree or dropping out. Without reliable mobility, students are forced to choose between fixing a car or paying tuition, commuting hours by bus, or missing critical lab and internship time.
The Gap: Small Cost, Massive Consequences
Tech, engineering, and computing majors require in-person labs, practicums, and internships. When financially vulnerable students lose access to reliable transportation, they lose access to the very experiences that launch careers.
Across the country, an estimated 13,800 upper-level tech and engineering majors leave college each year due to small, solvable financial gaps—including transportation. That’s talent the workforce can’t afford to lose
A one-time $2,300 award covered my car repair and insurance. I graduated on time, started my cybersecurity career, and now mentor younger women in STEM.
Zainab S., Cybersecurity Engineer, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
University of Chicago
Introducing the Transportation Access Fund
A $12M, 3-Year Initiative to Keep 7,700 STEM Students on the Road to Graduation
The Transportation Access Fund delivers rapid-response mobility support—gas, transit passes, car repairs, insurance, rideshare, e-bikes, scooters, and more—precisely when students need it most.
This is not a scholarship. It’s a high-ROI, practical intervention that prevents minor disruptions from becoming life-altering derailments. Average investment: just $1,800 per student.
When students stay on the road, they stay in school. And when they graduate, families escape poverty, and industries gain resilient, expansive talent ready for technical roles across computing, engineering, cybersecurity, AI, and advanced manufacturing.
The result: students graduate on time, join the workforce, and strengthen the U.S. talent pipeline.
A Proven Model With Outsized Returns
Last Mile’s approach is already transforming outcomes at scale:
13,000+ students served across 1,000+ institutions
74% graduation rate within 12 months
246× 10-year social return on investment
Graduates entering high-demand jobs across the innovation economy
Transportation is the next solvable barrier—and the next surge of unlockable talent.
The workforce needs more engineers, analysts, cybersecurity professionals, and technologists. The students are already here. They simply need a way to get to class.
Funders—especially those in transportation, mobility, logistics, infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and tech—have a unique opportunity to lead a national solution.
Why Partner Now
The money I received helped me to get the TIPM replaced on my car so I could get back and forth to my clinicals. I couldn’t afford a rental car and using it to pay for a rental would have been gone in a week. I was able to get my car fixed, make it to clinical, make it to work; and make it to class. It was really helpful and I am beyond grateful.
— Fall 2024 Survey Respondent
Founding Partner
Ready to Move the Needle?
This moment calls for bold action. Discover inaugural investment opportunities that invite visionary partners to lead this transformative fund.
Opportunity is everywhere. Let’s make sure access is too.