September 30, 2025 (Atlanta, GA) — Gentle Warriors Academy (GWA), a staple program of Fathers Incorporated, is proud to announce that it has received a five-year, $6.5 million Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) grant to serve fathers and families in Georgia. Through this award, GWA will launch and scale its Dad & Company: Strengthening the Parenting Team (DAD & CO) program across Metro Atlanta and Columbus.

The investment expands GWA’s ability to equip fathers, couples, and co-parents with the skills, coaching, and support that build resilient families — improving child well-being, enhancing relationship health, and advancing long-term household stability.

The program will be fully launched in January 2026.

What Is DAD & CO?

DAD & CO is a community-centered program that promotes healthy marriages, strong co-parenting relationships, and economic mobility. Through a 12-hour curriculum delivered over three weeks, participants receive:

• Evidence-informed workshops on communication, conflict resolution, co-parenting strategies, and financial literacy
• Individualized case management and life coaching to set goals, remove barriers, and sustain progress
• Wrap-around referrals for housing, healthcare, workforce development, and more
• Flexible participation options, including in-person and virtual sessions

Where we’re serving: Atlanta and Columbus, Georgia.
 

Who we’ll serve: Adult fathers and couples—up to 1,200 individuals (or 600 couples) over five years.

“This award allows us to scale the coaching, tools, and community that help dads show up — consistently and confidently — for their children and partners. Strong fathers build strong families, and strong families build strong communities.”

— Kenneth Braswell, CEO, Fathers Incorporated and Founder, Gentle Warriors Academy

Why Healthy Relationships Matter to Families

Research consistently shows that involved fathers and healthy relationships are linked to:

• Improved child development outcomes
• Reduced family stress and conflict
• Greater economic stability and reduced reliance on public assistance

DAD & CO meets families where they are, guiding them from challenges to solutions, from intention to action, and from short-term wins to multi-generational impact. Over the project period, we aim to demonstrate measurable gains in:

• Co-parenting quality: Better teamwork, communication, and conflict management
• Father involvement: Increased engagement and bonding with children
• Economic stability: Improved employment readiness, placement, and retention
• Family functioning: Stronger relationships and safer, more stable homes