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$5,000 grants available for dads with no access to paid paternity leave

Posted at 10:53 AM, Feb 24, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-24 10:53:49-05

The idea of paid paternity leave has hit the national stage as focus shifts from new moms to the whole family unit when a child is born.

One company in particular is offering a grant to fathers who do not have access to paid paternity leave.

Dove started a Paternity Leave Fund that is an effort to raise more than $1 million for dads across America over the next two years, according to their website. The fund will provide fathers who do not have access to paternity leave with $5,000 grants so they can be home to spend time with their newborns.

Dove says, “Working dads shouldn’t have to choose between their children and a paycheck — because when they take paternity leave, it benefits families, workplaces and communities.”

They have also created a pledge for working men and fathers to sign to commit to helping companies provide paternity leave to new dads. Signing the pledge is a requirement for those who wish to receive the grant.

Other big companies such as Starbucks, Lowe’s, CVS, Dollar General and Walmart have expanded or created new family leave policies, many specifically geared towards working fathers, in the last year.

The political landscape for paternity leave is also changing. In the past four years, the number of lawmakers supportive of paid family leave has more than doubled. However, only 15 percent of workers in the US have access to paid family leave.