Last Mile San Diego

About Last Mile San Diego

Last Mile San Diego centers its grantmaking on people affected by incarceration, pairing education with technology training to support reentry, employment, and family stability. That mission shows up most clearly in its scholarship work for children and dependents of The Last Mile program participants and alumni, where support is tied directly to the student’s educational institution. The foundation also backs prison-based technical education and post-release pathways such as workforce reentry, apprenticeships, web development training, and audio and video production training. Recent grants show a strong local, practice-oriented approach. In 2024, the foundation made a $711,096 grant to the City of Chula Vista and a $553,899 grant to South Bay Community Services Migrant Children, both listed as pandemic grants. It also supported education and youth-serving institutions such as National City School District, Escondido High School, Sweetwater High School National City, and Mira Costa Community College. Alongside those awards, the foundation funded health and community organizations including San Ysidro Health Center, San Diego Food Bank, and North County Lifeline. The mix points to a funder focused on concrete services, education access, and community support within San Diego County.

What Last Mile San Diego Funds

Education and training are the clearest throughline in Last Mile San Diego’s grantmaking. Through the Turn2U Scholarship Program, the foundation supports post-secondary education, vocational schools, and coding academies for children and dependents of The Last Mile program participants and alumni, with awards sent directly to the educational institution. The foundation also supports prison-based technical education and post-release career pathways. Its stated focus includes workforce reentry and apprenticeships, web development training, and audio and video production training. That emphasis aligns with a broader strategy of helping justice-impacted people build job skills and move into paid work. Family support is another part of the portfolio. The foundation’s summary explicitly includes scholarships and educational support for families, connecting its education work to the people around program participants as well as the participants themselves.

How Last Mile San Diego Gives