About the Pathways Impact Fund
About
Reimagining the path from high school to career.
The Pathways Impact Fund, backed by several of the country’s largest philanthropies, is a national effort to ensure more young people are on pathways with purpose, gaining the experiences beginning in high school that build momentum to fulfilling, well-paying careers and economic mobility.
Today’s education and workforce systems aren’t designed to help students navigate from high school to college and careers. Too often, disconnected efforts across schools, employers and community partners leave young people without the guidance they need.
Preparing students for a rapidly changing economy requires more than coursework alone. Young people need access to real-world experiences, trusted adult guidance and strong connections to opportunity.
The Pathways Impact Fund works to make that possible.
Our goal: to support 25,000 more students to engage in purposeful pathways, earn credentials of value and access economic opportunity.
By investing in regional partners, the Fund expands access to the critical experiences that open pathways to economic mobility.
Our ApproachHistory of the Pathways Impact Fund
The Pathways Impact Fund was catalyzed by StriveTogether and launched in partnership with the Gates Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation. The Fund was founded on a clear-eyed diagnosis of the field: extraordinary innovation in pathways work was happening locally, but investment was fragmented. High-quality advising, accelerated coursework and career-connected learning were advancing in isolation, without a shared way to scale what works.
The Fund was designed as a pooled effort where philanthropic partners align strategy, capital and learning to bring greater cohesion to the field.
The Fund’s work is guided by the Commission on Purposeful Pathways’ central report, A Launchpad for Life, a research-backed vision for pathways that move beyond a patchwork of programs and change outcomes for young people at scale. At the heart of our work is a simple but powerful goal: that every young person can say with confidence, “I know who I am, I know where I’m going, and I know who can help me get there.”