Louisville, Ky. (April 21, 2025) – Metro United Way is proud to announce a $125,000 grant from Ford Philanthropy to help tackle one of the most persistent challenges faced by income-limited families in the Greater Louisville area, reliable transportation. A significant portion of this funding, $82,000, will go directly to Bullitt County Public Schools’ McKinney-Vento Program, which serves students experiencing homelessness.

Transportation barriers are among the top reasons students facing housing instability miss school, struggle with academic performance, or are unable to participate in extracurricular activities and work opportunities. This grant helps fill that gap by providing critical transportation resources such as a part-time van driver and gas cards for students.

“Our community is facing several challenges around transportation,” said Adria Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer at Metro United Way. “Thanks to this generous gift from Ford Philanthropy, Metro United Way and our community partners can help students experiencing homelessness get to school, activities, work, and much more. We applaud Ford Philanthropy for stepping up to support a critical community need and hope others will join.”

The remainder of the grant will support additional local transportation efforts focused on ensuring access to education, employment, and stability for families in need. For example, funds will be used to purchase a van for transportation for BluePrint502 in Louisville that provides education, job training, and leadership programs to youth from under-resourced communities.

Metro United Way and its partners are committed to reducing the barriers that prevent young people from reaching their full potential. With this investment from Ford, the organization can take a meaningful step toward leveling the playing field for students whose only limitation is a ride to where they need to go.

To learn more about Metro United Way’s work in the community, visit metrounitedway.org.