United Way of Central Oklahoma Awards WayFinder Innovation Grant to Upward Transitions' Hope Flyers Program

OKLAHOMA CITY – Funded through the WayFinder Innovation Grant, the “Hope Flyers” program will begin assisting its first participants this month. A program of local nonprofit, Upward Transitions, it is one of two projects that were awarded the WayFinder Grant for 2025. The announcement was made at United Way’s Campaign Kickoff event at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club on September 11, 2025.

United Way of Central Oklahoma founded its WayFinder Innovation Grant in 2019 to fund new and innovative ideas for social services, apart from its traditional funding model. Since then, $1,577,960 has been awarded to 21 innovative health and human services programs throughout central Oklahoma. Local nonprofits submit proposals to United Way to be considered a WayFinder recipient. Selected agencies must pitch their ideas “shark tank-style” to a panel of volunteer community leaders who make the ultimate decision on which programs will receive funding.

United Way of Central Oklahoma offers up to $250,000 in WayFinder funding to local nonprofits every year. The grant is considered one-time funding and has a grant period of two years from October - September.

“United Way of Central Oklahoma is thrilled to partner with Upward Transitions for their Wayfinder Innovation Grant,” stated Rachel Holt, President & CEO of United Way of Central Oklahoma. “Upward Transitions is a strong United Way partner agency, and we know that this program will be successful because of the dedication and compassion of their team. Our Wayfinder Innovation Grant shark panel was impressed by their presentation, and we look forward to the roll out and updates for this innovative program. Our Central Oklahoma community excels in coming together with real solutions to real problems and we are proud to support this work.”

Upward Transitions’ Hope Flyers program will assist those experiencing transportation poverty by lending them electric bikes while helping them to save funds to secure a reliable means of transportation of their own.

Those unfamiliar with the term “transportation poverty,” are not alone. Until 2016, there was not a name for the increasingly common problem. Defined as a “poverty trap,” in Transport Poverty and Its Adverse Social Consequences, a study by Lucas, Verlinghieri, Mattioli, and Guzman, transportation poverty bars those who experience it from being able to fully access services, infrastructures, and resources due to limited means of transportation. This limits their wider access to jobs, education, and health facilities.

Awareness has begun to grow, and studies are being conducted worldwide on the extent of damage done to the stability of those without a consistent means of travel. This particularly affects those exiting homelessness and trying to stabilize their lives.

The Urban Institute noted in Driving to Opportunity: Understanding the Links among Transportation Access, Residential Outcomes, and Economic Opportunity for Housing Voucher Recipients that newly housed individuals can rarely afford to live in neighborhoods with high access to employment and need a reliable means of transportation between home and work.

Upward Transitions works closely with individuals and families experiencing homelessness and at risk of homelessness due to eviction through its Community Outreach programs. The 100-year-old organization has a mission “to prevent generational poverty through community collaboration, emergency relief and empowerment, therefore inspiring hope with our neighbors experiencing housing instability.”

Staff at Upward Transitions have long been aware that one of the major hurdles facing their newly housed clients is the lack of reliable transportation. Though its case managers regularly provide assistance with public transportation, gaps in accessibility persist and can lead to a loss of employment and a return to the experience of homelessness. To address the problem, they have partnered with Drop Mobility, a leading urban micromobility solutions provider, operating in over 60+ municipalities across North America, to lease electric bikes, software, and security systems.

Since its founding in 2017, Drop Mobility’s people-first partnership mindset has allowed the organization to develop community-driven bike share systems that are tailored to local needs. They specialize in providing flexible, sustainable, and locally branded solutions, working in collaboration with transit authorities, universities, non-profits, private companies, and city governments to create vibrant and financially sustainable micromobility programs.

Drop Mobility CEO, Dipesh Dar said of the partnership, “At Drop Mobility, we believe access to mobility should be equitable and inclusive. Partnering with Upward Transitions allows us to ensure that those who need it most have reliable transportation options that can open doors to opportunity.”

Clients will use the Drop Mobility app, customized for Upward Transitions, to operate the e-bikes during the months they use them to get to work, medical appointments, benefit appointments, and social gatherings. Upward Transitions’ case managers will work closely with clients during that time to assist and empower them to achieve their goals to save funds for their own means of reliable transportation.

“Our entire team at Upward Transitions is excited about the opportunities our Hope Flyers program participants will be able to access with reliable transportation,” said Periann Pulliam, CEO of Upward Transitions. “We are so grateful to have the support of United Way of Central Oklahoma’s WayFinder Innovation Grant and Drop Mobility in bringing this innovative solution to transportation poverty to Central Oklahoma.”

For information about Upward Transitions and its new Hope Flyers program, visit www.upwardtransitions.org, or contact Conna Dewart, Development and Public Relations Manager at 405-232-5507 or cdewart@upwardtransitions.org.

Information about the United Way of Central Oklahoma WayFinder Grant can be found at:  www.unitedwayokc.org/partnerships/wayfindergrant/  

Drop Mobility’s Instagram account is: https://www.instagram.com/dropmobility.

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