New National Initiative Awards $7.5 Million to Connect Gen Z with In-Demand Career Pathways

Regional organizations in Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts and Ohio each receive $1.5 million to set young people on a path to meaningful careers and economic mobility.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pathways Impact Fund, a national initiative of StriveTogether, today announced the award of $7.5 million across five regional organizations working to maximize high school students' options after graduation. These regional intermediaries are doing the critical work of coordinating school districts, higher education institutions and employers to bridge the gap between educational experiences and careers that can unlock economic mobility.

The Fund's initial investment comes at a critical moment: While 78% of Gen Z high schoolers say it's important to determine a career plan before graduating, only 13% feel fully ready to make decisions about their future.

"Too many communities are trying to solve this problem in isolation, leaving students to navigate fragmented education and workforce systems without clear guidance on their next steps," said John Garcia III, executive director of the Pathways Impact Fund. "We're pooling philanthropic resources into a fund that can invest in and scale the sort of evidence-based practices needed to ensure that every high school graduate can say with confidence, 'I know who I am, I know where I'm going, and I know who can help me get there.'"

According to the Commission on Purposeful Pathways, which informs the Fund's work, high-quality pathways programs provide students with access to advising, accelerated coursework and career-connected learning opportunities, building the sense of purpose, belonging and social capital that research shows leads to increased economic mobility. In recognition that traditional K-12 schools are not singularly equipped to provide these experiences, the Fund is supporting a diverse set of regional intermediaries to systematically build, improve upon and implement these pathways.

"At StriveTogether, we know that the future of our economy depends on whether young people can access clear pathways to thriving careers. Through the Pathways Impact Fund, we're aligning philanthropic investment with regional leadership to build stronger education-to-career systems — expanding economic opportunity for thousands of students," said Jennifer Blatz, president and CEO of StriveTogether.

The inaugural cohort of grantees includes:

• Boston-based EdVestors is leading a citywide effort — anchored by a 25-year partnership with Boston Public Schools (BPS) — to scale high-quality career pathways. They are already showing strong results: the number of BPS students enrolling in pathways has doubled in the last five years and nearly half of the BPS Class of 2024 completed an internship by graduation. Each year, EdVestors' annual advising summit convenes more than 350 practitioners focused on making student transitions from high school to college and career seamless.
  
  
  
  
• As the workforce development board for Indianapolis, EmployIndy is coordinating Marion County's complex education landscape of 11 public school districts, numerous charter schools and 25,000+ employers to implement the state's groundbreaking new graduation requirement and create pathways that embed career-connected learning, advising and dual credit courses aligned with high-demand sectors. The Fund's investment will help EmployIndy move outside the county, transforming Central Indiana from a collection of strong local pathway programs to a coherent, interconnected regional system.
  
  
  
  
• Northern Illinois University's Education Systems Center (EdSystems) is working with districts in the state to increase student engagement in career-focused pathways aligned with the state's rigorous College and Career Pathways Endorsements framework. Although the number of districts offering the endorsement has grown fivefold since 2023, student uptake has remained relatively low. Through this investment, EdSystems will work with districts to ensure more students graduate with an endorsement, as well as establish regional data collaboratives to link student outcomes across K-12, postsecondary and workforce systems to improve pathway options.
  
  
  
  
• Learn to Earn Dayton, the regional intermediary for Montgomery County, Ohio, developed a career-connected learning sequence known as Pathways for Accelerated College and Career Experiences (PACCE), which is now being adopted statewide. Learn to Earn Dayton is bringing the framework to life by building a team of in-school "career navigators" responsible for ensuring every student understands the results of their evidence-based interest and aptitude assessment and gets connected to aligned work-based learning and dual enrollment opportunities.
  
  
  
  
• Rodel is taking a systems-based approach to bridge the gap between high school and career by strengthening the state's pathway system, which currently serves nearly 75% of Delaware's high school students and has helped increase the attainment of industry-recognized credentials among high school students by more than 50% and dual enrollment in college by more than 17% in the last few years. They are now developing a statewide advising framework to strengthen the tools and policies that align guidance, pathways and college and career outcomes.

To learn more about the Pathways Impact Fund, visit PathwaysImpactFund.org

About the Pathways Impact Fund

The Pathways Impact Fund, backed by several of the nation'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.

About StriveTogether

StriveTogether is a national network of community partnerships that bring together neighbors, including youth and families, nonprofits, businesses, schools and more, to work toward a future where youth can thrive in their communities. Cradle to Career Network members change the way their communities work together by building connections, sharing resources and using data to put more young people on a path to economic mobility. Our work helps young people meet seven key life milestones so that they have the opportunities they need to reach their goals, and, ultimately, thrive. Learn more at StriveTogether.org.

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SOURCE Pathways Impact Fund