Building Communities of Lifelong Learning.
The Ascent Project helps individuals and families build long-term stability, expand opportunity, and thrive in the communities they call home. Through resident services, education, workforce development, youth enrichment, senior services, and strategic partnerships, TAP opens roads for success at every stage of life.
THE MODEL
Live • Learn • Work
Three interconnected pathways—stability, learning, and economic opportunity—that reinforce one another so residents and communities can thrive.
LIVE
LEARN
WORK
LIVE
- Household Stability
- Well-being
- Access to resources
- Stronger communities
LEARN
- Educational achievement
- Youth development
- Skill building
- Lifelong learning
WORK
- Workforce development
- Career advancement
- Economic mobility
- Entrepreneurship
- Greater financial stability
Impact
From Participation to Progress
selected outcomes from our work in Atlanta, Birmingham, and Baton Rouge
88.5%
employment retention — residents who maintained work for 6+ months (Birmingham, 2025)
15,000
Youth STEAM sessions delivered. (Atlanta)
83.1%
of target youth engaged in positive youth development (Baton Rouge, 2024)
3,820
formal gowns provided through the prom giveaway (Atlanta, as of 2025)
86.7%
of measured residents had health insurance (Birmingham, 2025)
1,500+
senior participants engaged (Atlanta)
100%
of residents in an on-site workforce training cohort obtained employment (Baton Rouge, 2023)
7,450+
food boxes distributed (Atlanta)
10,000
youth sports and yoga sessions (Atlanta)
13,750+
hot meals served (Atlanta)
Two Ways TAP Creates Change
Direct Community Impact & Organizational Impact
Lane 1
Direct Community Impact
Resident-centered services that help people Live, Learn, and Work — delivered in the communities where they call home.
Lane 2
Organizational Impact
Technical assistance and implementation support for housing, philanthropic, corporate, and community organizations — including resident-services strategy, Choice Neighborhoods implementation, and social impact & corporate responsibility strategy.
Rooted in Atlanta
Our Work in Atlanta
Afterschool programming, summer camps, prom dress giveaways, and senior services bring learning, enrichment, and connection to the Atlanta community.
After-School Programming
Summer Camps
Prom Dress
Giveaways
Senior Services
Certified
TAP is CORES Certified
CORES stands for Certified Organization for Resident Engagement & Services, a national certification administered by Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF). It recognizes affordable housing organizations with a strong commitment, capacity, and competency in resident services coordination.
Certification looks at how an organization coordinates services, staffs and funds the work, uses data and technology, builds community partnerships, and engages residents. For housing and funding partners, it is an outside validation that TAP’s resident services meet a high national standard.
Ways to Work With TAP
Bring TAP to Your Community
For housing authorities, developers, owners, property managers, municipalities, and community partners.
Invest in Resident Opportunity
For foundations, corporations, philanthropic partners, individual donors, and sponsors.
Technical
Assistance
Strategy, implementation support, and social impact planning for your organization.
Welcome to The Ascent Project
The Ascent Project (TAP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization begun in 2018 that continues the work of Integral Youth and Family Project, Inc. (IYFP), founded in 2001. From the beginning, the work has been grounded in a simple belief: strong communities are built when individuals and families have access to the relationships, resources, learning experiences, and opportunities they need to reach their potential.
Today, TAP carries that foundation forward through a comprehensive human and community development model designed for urban, underserved communities. We meet residents where they are, connect immediate needs to long-term goals, and work with partners to create pathways toward stability, economic mobility, lifelong learning, and community well-being.
Our Mission
To create long term stability in urban, under-served, communities through implementation of a comprehensive model of human and community development. TAP’s proven model focuses on supporting both the needs and the potential of individuals and families.
Our Vision
To build thriving, inclusive communities of lifelong learning where every individual has equal opportunity to fulfill their potential and lead fulfilling lives. We aspire to create a future in which the necessary resources, opportunities, and support systems for personal growth, empowerment, and community development are easily accessible.
Opening Roads for Success
TAP provides programs, supportive services, and opportunities across the stages of life. Our work is designed to create a continuum of support — helping residents address today’s needs while building toward tomorrow’s possibilities.
Resident Stability & Navigation
Case management, resource connection, goal planning, supportive services, and resident engagement.
Workforce & Economic Mobility
Career coaching, training connections, job readiness, employer engagement, and advancement pathways.
Children, Youth & Education
Afterschool learning, camps, academic support, STEAM exposure, mentoring, and college and career exploration.
Senior Well-Being
Enrichment, education, wellness connections, digital inclusion, social engagement, and resource navigation.
Community Life
Seasonal activities, celebrations, learning experiences, and resident-led opportunities that strengthen connection and belonging.
Partnerships That Strengthen Communities
TAP works hand in hand with housing developers and owners, housing authorities, property managers, schools, employers, government agencies, funders, and community organizations. These relationships expand what residents can access and help communities build strong networks of opportunity.
Our partnership model is intentionally diverse. TAP can serve a single community, a portfolio of properties, or a broader place-based initiative — bringing direct services, coordinated partnerships, and measurable outcomes to the people who live there.
