Grants will advance youth opportunity, advocacy and awareness, reentry and workforce development, and support for justice-involved veterans

FALLS CHURCH, Va., Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The ViaPath Foundation today announced its Impact Grant Portfolio, awarding grants to 22 organizations across 14 states through its four funding pillars: Bright Futures Fund, Champions of Change, 2C Your Impact, and Operation Veteran Reentry.

Established in 2022 by ViaPath Technologies, a leader in innovative technology and communications solutions for the corrections industry, the ViaPath Foundation empowers at-risk communities by investing in programs that support justice-impacted youth and families, strengthen community-based alternatives and family connections, expand reentry and workforce development pathways, and assist justice-involved veterans. Through this year’s grant cycle, the Foundation is supporting organizations that create practical, lasting change for individuals, families, and communities.

“These organizations are doing essential work at critical moments in people’s lives — helping young people find opportunity, supporting families affected by incarceration, expanding pathways to employment, and helping veterans and justice-impacted individuals successfully reenter their communities,” said Naseem Caplette, ViaPath Foundation Board Chair. “Through this grant cycle, ViaPath Foundation is proud to support programs that are creating meaningful impact in communities across the country.”

The 2026 Impact Grant Cycle includes the following funding pillars and grant recipients:

Bright Futures Fund: Youth & Early Support
The Bright Futures Fund supports youth-focused organizations and programs that provide mentoring, education, family connection, alternatives to incarceration, after-school programming, sports access, housing support, and early intervention.

Grant recipients include:

• North Omaha Community Partnership in Omaha, Nebraska: Funding will support the organization’s operating budget and core programming, including the Blueprint Program, which provides community-based alternatives to incarceration for eligible youth. Grant funds will support staffing, program coordination, mentoring, case management, transportation, and essential operational infrastructure.
• We Love Philly in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Funding will support workforce development, paid pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs, socioemotional support, and positive community experiences for at-risk youth. Programming includes literacy and math skills, social-emotional learning, trauma-informed support, and pathways to sustainable employment.
• Preble Street in Portland, Maine: Funding will support youth exiting the justice system by connecting them with housing and essential resources through the organization’s partnership with the Maine Department of Corrections. Services include emergency shelter, mobile outreach, behavioral health partnerships, education, and multiple housing pathways.
• Reading Legacies in San Diego, California: Funding will support workshops for families separated by incarceration or addiction. The program video-records participants reading storybooks, then sends the recording and a copy of the book home to children to help preserve family relationships.
• Put Me In! in San Francisco, California: Funding will provide 10 children with an incarcerated parent with financial support for sports-related expenses, including equipment, uniforms, registration fees, and travel. Financial aid renews annually through 12th grade, as long as the child remains in school.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the National Capital Area in Washington, D.C.: Funding will support professionally supported, long-term, one-to-one mentoring relationships for children ages 7–18 across the National Capital Area.
• Community Family Centers in Houston, Texas: Funding will support the organization’s after-school STEAM program for at-risk youth in Houston’s low-income, high-risk East End community.
• Durham’s Hope for Kids in Durham, North Carolina: Funding will support the Pathways to Power Program, designed to prevent youth from becoming involved in the justice system through leadership development, social-emotional learning, mentorship, and early exposure to future career pathways.

Champions of Change: Advocacy & Awareness
Champions of Change supports organizations advancing community-based alternatives, trauma-informed care, family connection, resilience, education, and awareness for justice-impacted individuals and families.

Grant recipients include:

• Youth Advocate Programs in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Funding will support safe and effective community-based alternatives to residential care and incarceration. Grant funds will help participants with housing, employment, education, clothing, school supplies, transportation, court fees, hygiene needs, and program activities, and will support advocates and support staff with travel.
• RETI in Panama City, Florida: Funding will support the Resilience for Incarcerated Adults program at Bay County Jail, which serves four annual cohorts of 20–25 participants each. Participants complete more than 100 hours of Mission-Based Resilience training across physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions.
• Safe House Project in Virginia Beach, Virginia: Funding will support the Emergency Survivor Support Program, which provides trauma-informed, individualized support for trafficking survivors, many of whom intersect with the justice system as a result of exploitation.
• Kansas Children’s Discovery Center / Play Free in Topeka, Kansas: Funding will support in-person play experiences for children and their incarcerated parents or grandparents at the Discovery Center children’s museum and through the Mobile Museum.
• Seed and Bloom in Santa Fe, New Mexico: Funding will support one of the few educational and self-development programs available at the Penitentiary of New Mexico. The horticultural therapy and prison garden program supports mental health and builds skills in horticulture, culinary arts, and creative expression.

2C Your Impact: Reentry & Workforce Development
2C Your Impact supports organizations helping justice-impacted individuals and youth build job skills, access training, secure employment, and successfully transition into their communities.

Grant recipients include:

• Building Promise USA in Austin, Texas: Funding will support formerly incarcerated people in Central Texas through the Hiring Initiative for Reentry Empowerment and Occupational Training for In-Demand Careers. The 2026 occupational training program is a collaboration with Austin Community College, Skillpoint Alliance, and Good Work Austin.
• More Than Words in Boston, Massachusetts: Funding will support a youth development and paid job training program through a nonprofit social enterprise. Youth build transferable job skills while managing real business responsibilities and tracking performance against workplace expectations.
• Harriott Community Health Initiative in Hartford, Connecticut: Funding will support 10 students who were previously incarcerated and/or currently work illegally for income. The Harriott Community Healthcare Academy provides Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training and job placement for residents of Hartford and surrounding communities.
• The River’s Edge Ranch in Lucerne Valley, California: Funding will support structured housing, job training, mentorship, and comprehensive reentry support for men and women transitioning from incarceration, with a focus on sobriety, stability, and independence.
• East Oakland Boxing Association in Oakland, California: Funding will strengthen the infrastructure behind FutureWorks, a youth employment program that provides paid work experience, job-readiness training, mentorship, financial literacy, and wraparound support. Grant funds will support vehicle repair, computer workstations, networking capacity, and office equipment.
• Completely KIDS in Omaha, Nebraska: Funding will support the Teen Employment Program, which provides at-risk youth ages 16–19 with job training, part-time employment, mentoring, professionalism training, goal setting, and college readiness support.
• Café Momentum Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Funding will support a 12-month workforce development program for justice-impacted youth ages 15–19. The program provides paid workforce training and helps youth build transferable job skills, consistent work history, and pathways toward permanent employment.

Operation Veteran Reentry: Justice-Involved Veteran Reentry Support
Operation Veteran Reentry supports justice-involved veterans as they transition back into their communities, focusing on housing stability, dignity, health, and long-term independence.

Grant recipients include:

• Veteran Social Services in Los Angeles, California: Funding will provide essential housing supplies for justice-involved female veterans reentering the Los Angeles community, including mattresses, bed frames, bedding, towels, study areas, refrigerators, microwaves, hygiene products, and clothing. These supplies support dignity, health outcomes, job readiness, housing retention, and reduced stress during reentry.
• Charleston Habitat for Humanity in Charleston, South Carolina: Funding will support two veteran cottages on Mint Avenue in Charleston, South Carolina. The cottages will provide homeownership opportunities for two qualified low-income veteran households.

Through its Impact Grant program, the ViaPath Foundation invests in organizations that meet people at pivotal moments—helping young people build brighter futures, supporting families affected by incarceration, expanding access to employment and training, and helping justice-involved veterans return home with stability and dignity.

For more information about the ViaPath Foundation and details about the grant program, please visit https://www.viapathfoundation.org/.

About ViaPath Foundation

Founded in 2022, the ViaPath Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals affected by incarceration and their families. Through innovative programs and partnerships, the Foundation provides support and resources that foster resilience and promote success. For more information, please visit https://www.viapathfoundation.org/.

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SOURCE ViaPath Technologies