Last Mile Education Fund
140x ROI
This project is estimated to increase annual earnings by $2,080 per person, for a total additional lifetime earnings of $91,532 per person
Total lifetime earnings increase across all participants: $337,662,915
$500,000 invested
The Challenge
There is a persistent talent and diversity gap in tech and engineering. Billions are invested annually in “STEMspiration” to push underrepresented students into the talent pipeline, yet the structural barriers in the higher education and tech recruitment systems remain unaddressed. Today just 20% of students from the bottom-two income quartiles earn a degree within 6 years of starting college. The Last Mile Education Fund invests in students who are within sight of a degree but facing financial and social barriers to completion. According to the National Postsecondary Student Survey 22% of undergraduates and 12% of graduate students experienced food insecurity.
Our Grant
Launched in 2019, Last Mile has invested over $5.5M to support persistence and degree completion for 5,132 individual students, of whom an estimated 1650 have graduated. The GitLab Foundation grant will provide capacity building to increase grant-making and student support for as many as 10,000 low-income tech and engineering students per year.
