NYATEP selected as Inaugural Grantee of the Fund for Workforce Equity
Nov 21, 2022
Fund for Workforce Equity Selects Inaugural Grantees
$1 million awarded to workforce organizations from across the country to center workers and learners of color
(November 17, 2022) – The Fund for Workforce Equity, a new pooled investment fund led by Workforce Matters, announced 15 grant recipients that will each receive grants of up to $75,000 to implement initiatives that center workers and learners of color in designing or implementing workforce policies and programs. The grantees, workforce development organizations from across the country, will receive flexible resources and support to pilot, innovate, or extend strategies.
"These 15 organizations are leaders in centering workers to drive equity in workforce development efforts. We want to provide funding and support to expand their work and uplift new, innovative strategies that can lead to systemic change," said Loh-Sze Leung, director of Workforce Matters.
The grantees include:
● Alternatives For Girls Detroit, MI
● California Indian Manpower Consortium Sacramento and San Diego County, CA
● Chicago Commons Chicago, IL
● Encuentro Albuquerque, NM
● Fair Work Center Seattle and Yakima Valley, WA
● Gideon’s Army Grassroots Army for Children Nashville, TN
● Hack.Diversity Boston, MA and New York, NY
● Hired Minneapolis, MN
● Insight Garden Program (IGP) Berkeley, CA
● New York Association of Training and Employment Professionals (NYATEP) Albany, NY
● Cafe Reconcile (RNO) New Orleans, LA
● Rocky Mountain Partnership (RMP) Thornton, CO
● Roots Community Health Center Oakland, CA
● YWCA San Antonio San Antonio, TX
● Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.) Cleveland, OH
The Fund for Workforce Equity is an initiative of Workforce Matters that has pooled funding from 22 grantmaking organizations. The Fund’s advisory committee is comprised of philanthropic and workforce field leaders committed to interrupting the systemic racism embedded within the field's practices, policies, programs, and the labor markets of communities they serve. To learn more, visit www.workforce-equity.org.
“The field of workforce development must address the evolving needs of an increasingly diverse generation of workers and learners,” says Allison Gerber, the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s director of employment, education, and training. “These Fund for Workforce Equity grantees have a unique opportunity to collaborate with workers of color and develop workforce strategies that center their goals and aspirations.”
“As a funder focused on economic inclusion for immigrants and refugees, we believe that workers’ perspectives are critical to designing and evaluating programs that seek to create more equitable access to opportunity,” said Lauren Crain, associate director at the World Education Services (WES) Mariam Assefa Fund. “We’re proud to support the Fund for Workforce Equity and partner with these 15 organizations as they lead the way in developing workforce solutions that center the voices and agency of BIPOC workers and learners.”
The Fund for Workforce Equity is supported by the American Institutes for Research, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Ascendium Education Group, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Cognizant Foundation, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Cuyahoga County Workforce Funders Group, Deaconess Foundation, Fund for Our Economic Future, The James Irvine Foundation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., McGregor Fund, Northwest Area Foundation, Siemens Foundation, Strada Education Network, Solon E. Summerfield Foundation, Tipping Point Community, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, Walmart.org, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, WES Mariam Assefa Fund, and supporting members of Workforce Matters.
Workforce Matters is a national network of grantmakers who work together to strengthen workforce development philanthropy. Drawing on expert and practitioner knowledge, Workforce Matters empowers workers, learners, empowers workers, learners, and job seekers to realize their full potential; dismantles inequities based on race, gender, ability, and other individual characteristics; and advances equitable education and employment outcomes for youth and adults. To learn more, visit workforce-matters.org
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