ABOUT US
The Steppingstone Foundation is a nonprofit organization built around a simple but demanding goal: to help as many people as possible build fulfilling, stable, and meaningful lives.
We are made up of a diverse group of individuals who share a commitment to community revitalization, workforce development and long-term economic stability. While our backgrounds vary, we are united by the belief that lasting change happens when people are given structure, dignity, and the opportunity to contribute to something larger than themselves.
Our Philosophy
The Steppingstone Foundation believes in serving individuals who are motivated to make progress but face barriers that make stability difficult to achieve alone.
These barriers often include limited housing options, lack of employment, education, and isolation following periods of addiction, incarceration, or crisis.
We provide stable housing, access to resources, structure, and opportunity.
Recovery requires ownership. And we believe meaningful progress is made through responsibility, engagement meaningful work, learning, service, and routine.
Productivity builds confidence. Contribution builds identity.. The The Steppingstone Foundation exists to create the conditions where that can occur.
How We Operate
The Steppingstone Foundation is a pending 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization, and we steward our resources with care. Every dollar we spend is directed toward expanding our mission and strengthening our ability to serve.
We have continued to grow our network of collaborators across housing, food security, education, workforce development, and community support. These partnerships are central to our effectiveness, and we are always working to extend our outreach.
Community Engagement
Service is not something we only receive—it is something we practice. Both residents and staff regularly volunteer with organizations throughout the Little Rock area.
Community engagement reinforces accountability, restores confidence, and strengthens the connection between individuals and the neighborhoods they are part of.
We welcome opportunities to serve alongside others and are always open to new ways to support our community.
Our Commitment
We are strengthening our community one person at a time, and we are deeply grateful for the support, trust, and encouragement.
The Steppingstone Foundation exists because of collaboration and shared commitment from the community we serve.
The Steppingstone Foundation is committed to operating with integrity, transparency and purpose as we continue to grow and expand our impact. Our work is grounded in compassion, and it is sustained by structure.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Karen Brown
Treasurer
Sits on multiple Boards of Nonprofit Organizations and a small business owner. Over 20 years of experience .
Chad Mathews
Executive Director
A real estate investor the owner of two construction companies with over 15 years of experience
Patrick Robertson
President
An Administrator at a Non-profit organization and youth mentor with over 15 years of experience
Alvin Robertson
Secretary
A Minister of an active Congregation and philanthropist with over 30 years of experience.
Look into our corporate structure and transparency policies here.
Founder’s Statement
The Steppingstone Foundation was created out of a recognition that too many people fall through the gaps between systems that were never designed to support them upon leaving.
I have experienced firsthand leaving incarceration, without the stability, structure, or support required to start a new life and sustain progress. With resources being scarce, the motivation quickly fades and the doubts begin. Then stagnation sets in and leads to falling back into the same old patterns We go back to the same old places to be around the same old people; and the result is relapse, disengagement, and a return to instability—not because people are incapable, but because our minds and environment work against us. Hopelessness comes from stagnation, and I created The Steppingstone Foundation to break these destructive patterns.
Our approach is built on the belief that stable housing, access to resources and the opportunity to contribute value to a group matter. These are not secondary concerns—they are essential conditions for long-term change.
We are intentional about what we are and what we are not. The Steppingstone Foundation is not a treatment program; we focus on providing stable environments and resources so that individuals can gain control of their lives after treatment, prison or homelessness.
This work requires compassion and clearly defined standards. It requires patience, but it also requires action. At Steppingstone Foundation, we aim to balance support with responsibility, and liberty with structure. We give knowledge and resources freely—because success is not earned by lowering expectations, but instead, by helping people exceed them.
I am grateful for the partners, volunteers, and community members who make this work possible, and to the individuals who choose to step forward and do the hard work of rebuilding their lives. This is a collective effort, and its impact is shaped by everyone who contributes to it.
Our commitment is simple: to operate with integrity, to steward resources responsibly, and to continue building pathways to stability—one person, one home, one step at a time.
How To Get Involved
The Steppingstone Foundation exists because of collaboration and shared commitment.
We accept donations that directly support housing stability, programming, and operational growth. We also welcome volunteers who want to contribute their time, skills, or labor to meaningful projects. Whether you are an individual, organization, or institution, we value connection and partnership.
If you are interested in getting involved—through support, collaboration, or service—we invite you to reach out to us.