Local grant makers BLBB Charitable, Bucks County Foundation (BCF), and Foundations Community Partnership (FCP) recently announced the award of a $75,000 grant to Souderton-based Along the Way in support of its Bucks Pathway Project, a comprehensive anti-poverty, workforce development, child care, and family support program for single-mother households.
The grant is the result of a new initiative, the Collaborative IMPACT Fund of Bucks County (IMPACT Bucks), launched by this coalition of funders to support nonprofits that are committed to creating safe, healthy, and thriving communities by improving economic self-sufficiency and opportunity for socially and/or economically disadvantaged people.
While Bucks County is the third wealthiest county in Pennsylvania, almost 6% of its total residents live at an income level below the Federal Poverty Level. Recently, the Bucks County Opportunity Council, the lead anti-poverty organization in Bucks County, released its 2024 Community Needs Assessment, underscoring that poverty is not just a lack of financial resources, but a complex web of interconnected challenges. For example, the average daily cost for full-time child care is $62.95 per child. Not surprisingly, access to affordable child care was listed as a barrier to finding employment, specifically for parents who work 2nd and 3rd shifts.
Along The Way started by providing free in-home child care in 2016, serving only low-income, single-mother families as an anti-poverty initiative. The intent was to break the cycle of poverty by providing the necessary support during nights and weekends when single moms could most readily find employment or take classes to continue their own education.
Along The Way’s child care solution fills a critical gap in the child care system that limits under-resourced single mothers from getting out of poverty – no child care during nontraditional hours when they most often need to work. To date, 93% of the mothers served have maintained stable employment and 50% have simultaneously worked full-time while enrolled in a certification/degree program.
Along the Way has expanded to partner with local employers who work collaboratively to address child care needs of their workforce and local nonprofits to provide resources and support to help clients move forward on their path to economic self-sufficiency. This grant will help grow the nonprofit’s presence in Bucks County through an intentional pilot program allowing it to accept more client referrals and increase its employer network.
“As an organization committed to accelerating equity through trauma-informed innovations in social care and child care, we have found a way to break down the silos that keep under-resourced people stuck,” said Along the Way CEO Kristina Valdez. “We are incredibly grateful to have been chosen for the IMPACT Bucks Grant and the long-lasting effect it will have on our community.”
In a joint statement by BLBB Charitable, BCF, and FCP, the respective boards thanked all the nonprofits for submitting their innovative ideas and approaches to serve their respective communities. Our collective philanthropy strives to bring about positive change with lasting impact for our most vulnerable neighbors. Going forward, the IMPACT Bucks program strives to find like-minded private and public partners to increase the available funding each year to meet the community’s growing needs.
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