Career Pathways for Inclusive Growth Grant Awards

New Haven, CT (Oct. 3, 2022) - Local job programs for Greater New Haven residents are expanding access to careers in growing economic sectors with the support of recent funding from The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. Skills training, childcare, transportation support and career navigation are among the wraparound support services being offered by the local programs that are receiving Career Pathways to Inclusive Growth grants from The Community Foundation. Grants totaling $683,626 are being awarded to 15 nonprofit organizations.

“This funding will support wraparound services to set up job seekers for success in quality jobs in the regional economic growth sectors of healthcare, manufacturing, biomedical and bioscience, construction and technology,” said Yolanda Caldera-Durant, vice president for community strategies at The Foundation. “These are individuals who have been traditionally underserved by the workforce development system — BIPOC populations, women, returning citizens and immigrants.”

The Foundation is making investments in career pathways as part of its larger strategy to help the region build an inclusive economy that advances racial equity. The five-year strategic plan launched in 2020 prioritized connecting residents to living wage employment in local economic growth sectors. Earlier this year, the Community Fund for Women and Girls, a component fund at The Foundation, made $200,000 in grants that are aligned with this strategy through its Pathways to Economic Success grants.

The Foundation’s strategy is in response to both the long-term and immediate needs of the region’s economy and workforce. The Brookings Institute 2021 Metro Monitor, which tracks the inclusive economic growth performance of 57 large metro areas with populations between 500,000 and 1 million, indicates that Greater New Haven ranks 46th in growth, 51st in prosperity and 54th in inclusion. The 2020 United Way ALICE report shows that a family with two adults, one infant and one preschooler needs to earn a total annual income of $90,000 to achieve a survival budget. At the same time, state and national job markets are experiencing significant shifts and labor shortages. Many workers are no longer willing to remain in or return to low-paying jobs that do not offer benefits with unstable work schedules (See more on quality jobs from the Boston Federal Reserve).

Given the recent federal investments in Connecticut workforce training under the American Rescue Plan, The Foundation’s Career Pathways grants are focused on programs that help job seekers with services that expand access to training, as well as quality jobs — childcare, transportation, basic skills training, early exposure to mentors and career navigation assistance.

Career Pathways for Inclusive Growth Grant Awards

Christian Community Action, Inc. $50,000

Grant funds will support the CCA ARISE (Accessing Resources for Independence, Skill-building and Employment) Center. ARISE uses a two-generational approach to provide services and support to parents and their children. CCA has partnerships with American Job Center/Next Step Program, Workforce Alliance, Easter Seals Goodwill, and Gateway Community College to connect ARISE participants with skills based and certification training and area employers.

Community Action Agency of New Haven, Inc. $50,000

Grant funding will expand of the Financial Capability Center (FCC), which helps participants with financial assistance, scholarships for job training programs and tuition reimbursement. CAANH plays a critical role as a feeder program and partner to multiple emerging workforce development initiatives including the MATCH Program and NAACP's One Million Jobs Campaign.

Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology $50,000

Grant funding will support training and employment assistance at no cost to historically excluded adults who are un/under employed. The target sectors for training are healthcare, bioscience and culinary, Participants are primarily African-American and Latino/x job seekers. ConnCAT provides wraparound supports including housing, childcare and transportation that can pose barriers to program completion.

Connecticut NAACP $48,715

The grant will support an outreach worker and a career navigator to secure hiring commitments from employers, recruit participants in the One Million Jobs Campaign and make referrals to its workforce partners. The program offers an innovative approach to working with formerly incarcerated individuals.

CT Violence Intervention Program $40,000

The grant will support students who are in alternative high school settings, unemployed or working in informal jobs to develop employability or professional skills that are applicable to all quality jobs in the local economic growth sector. Once participants complete this program, they will be assisted by the Workforce Alliance or Gateway Community College on the next step of their journey toward earning a living wage.

Havenly $50,000

The grant will support the launch of the Career Bridges Fellowship pilot, a cohort-based job training program for immigrant and refugee women with high levels of professional and academic experience from their home countries. The program supports women participants through wraparound services including stipends, support with childcare, transportation, interpretation services, mentorship and on-going programming and community support.

Junior Achievement of Southwest New England $30,000

The grant will support work readiness programs that provide critical career readiness experiences to build a stronger talent pipeline that leads to sustainable employment for young people. Specific activities will include resume reviews, mock job interviews, job shadowing, career panel discussions, virtual career days, industry exploration days and other specialty programs.

Manufacturing and Technical Community Hub $50,000

The grant will support the launch an internship program, based in Fair Haven, for participants from New Haven who are unemployed and underemployed. The program is designed for people who are from underserved populations of color, single parents (particularly women) and individuals involved in the criminal justice system. When participants complete their internship, they will be hired as full-time employees of MATCH, which will be a nonprofit manufacturing company and training hub.

Minority Construction Council $25,000

The grant will support a state-wide study of the construction industry, focusing on opportunities and barriers for Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) construction firms that are Black- and brown-owned. The study will reveal concrete steps that can be taken to change industry conditions to improve the prospects for MBE construction firms to increase well paid employment opportunities in this sector.

New Haven Promise $50,000

The grant will support a skills-based pilot in partnership with Yale Medical School to train, mentor and prepare underrepresented professionals in healthcare careers. NHP will engage students and alumni in a 12-week program.

New Haven Works, Inc. $50,000

The grant will support New Haven residents preparing for jobs in STEM fields including biomedical/bioscience, construction, and healthcare. Participants will be provided with wraparound supports such as career counseling, career navigation, medical certifications, work-specific clothing, work equipment, bus passes and parking vouchers.

ReadyCT $50,000

The grant will support a partnership with New Haven Public Schools to create a career pathways model to build their capacity for work-based learning. The goal is to build a robust talent pipeline to connect historically underrepresented black and brown students to key regional and economic growth sectors.

Southern Connecticut State University - BioPath $49,911.

The grant will support career navigation, networking, and incentives for students, with a particular focus on BIPOC students, to explore biomedicine and bioscience careers. Students will be mentored by professionals of color, attend field trips and experience mentorships with industry professionals. Potential career paths include research assistants, technicians, sales and support roles.

The WorkPlace $50,000

The grant will support “Concier-Care,” a provision of wraparound services and support for women in Greater New Haven and the Valley who have been touched by the judicial system. This program seeks to break down barriers to employment and propel women, particularly women of color, who have been incarcerated, into life-sustaining careers. Grant funds will cover the cost of providing transportation, clothing, day care expenses, specific healthcare support, wellness, technology and many other resources.

United Way of Meriden and Wallingford, Inc. $40,000

The grant will support training opportunities for residents to prepare them to obtain living wage employment. UWMW is connected to key employers and resources for training and plays a central coordination role. UWMW’s effort is focused on the area growth sectors that include healthcare, manufacturing and construction.

About The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven in Connecticut is one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the U.S. and was established in 1928 as the permanent charitable endowment for New Haven and its surrounding communities of: Ansonia, Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, Derby, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Milford, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton, Wallingford, West Haven, and Woodbridge. In 2020, The Foundation began implementing a 5-year strategic plan and enacted new mission and vision statements toward expanding opportunity and equity in Greater New Haven. In 2021, it launched Stepping Forward, a $26 million commitment to addressing the impact of COVID-19 and advancing racial equity. The Foundation’s mission is to inspire, support, inform, listen to and collaborate with the people and organizations of Greater New Haven to build an ever more connected, inclusive, equitable and philanthropic community.

For more than three generations, generous local donors have built The Community Foundation’s endowment by establishing permanent funds or making gifts to existing funds that distribute grants to a broad variety of issues and organizations. These donors, past and present, make their gifts to ensure that programs and causes that matter most to them will be supported today and forever. As of December 31, 2021, The Foundation’s assets were valued at more than $871 million after distributing more than $35 million in grants and distributions into the community that year. For more information about The Foundation visit www.cfgnh.org or follow @cfgnh on facebook and twitter.

Contact:

Matthew Higbee
Content and Engagement Manager
The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
Email

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