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Office of Workforce Development awards over $4 million in grants to place Boston residents on a continuum of success

Sep 15, 2015

Funding made available to local programs that focus on helping Bostonians fulfill their educational and employment aspirations
 
The Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development (OWD) has selected 60 Boston-area non-profit organizations to receive grants through a request for proposals issued in March. Award totals range from $20,000 to $265,894, and are being made available through several funding streams, including the Alternative Education Initiative (AEI), Community Development Block Grant Public Services (CDBG-PS), and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Youth (WIOA Youth). 
 
The $4 million investment marks a measurable step in OWD’s efforts to align the goals and strategies of funding sources to Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s citywide economic opportunity agenda, which is focused on tackling income inequality. These goals resulted from OWD conducting a thorough assessment of community resources, best practices, and an analysis of workforce development efforts around the country.
 
“I am pleased that we’re able to invest in so many of the City’s vital programs,” said Mayor Walsh. “These funds will help Boston residents access education and employment opportunities that may have been previously out of reach. By opening pathways to success, the Office of Workforce Development empowers individuals to acquire new skills that increase their future employment and earning potential.”
 
Examples of organizations chosen to receive funding are as follows:
  • The Bridge Over Troubled Waters’ Education and Career Development program, which provides three interconnected services of HiSET high school equivalency test preparation, career services, and college pathways program designed to meet the complex needs of homeless, high-risk youth;
  • Project Hope’s Professional Readiness and Employment Program, which trains participating low-income single mothers for the insurance industry through a partnership with the Insurance Library Association of Boston; and
  • X-Cel’s Youth Pathways to Career Initiative, which provides out-of-school youth with academic programs and education to prepare them for the HiSET exam.
A total of 104 applications were submitted to OWD from non-profit organizations that collectively requested over $9 million. Many of the grantees have collaborating partners, such as other non-profits, employers, and post-secondary institutions, with whom they will work to place Boston residents on career pathways to economic success.  The grantees will connect Boston residents with a range of opportunities for quality education, training, workforce development, and support services that lead to long-term economic security.
 
“With each new program and initiative, OWD redoubles efforts to modernize its mission and redefine funding principles to better serve the people of Boston,” said Brian Golden, Director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority, which supports OWD.
 
Collectively, the awarded organizations will offer over 3,300 Boston residents access to employment, education, and financial empowerment opportunities, resulting in the following estimated outcomes:
  • 921 low-income Boston residents employed;
  • 354 enrolled in post-secondary education and training programs;
  • 630 seniors and persons with disabilities able to obtain an increase in income averaging $350 per month through attainment of government and private benefits.
  • 439 individuals achieve an increase in income as a result of wages from employment; and
  • 185 obtain high school diplomas/Hi-SET high school equivalency certificates.
The grant awards will provide organizations with funding through June 30, 2016. Awards for fiscal year 2017 will be contingent upon the availability of funding.
 
Below is a full list of organizations that received grants in this round of funding, or you can download the full list here.
 

FY 2016 AEI List of Grantees

Agency FY 16 Funding Amount
ABCD University High School $74,564
Bridge Over Troubled Waters $71,278
Catholic Charities dba El Centro del Cardenal $71,564
College Bound Dorchester $50,304
EDCO Collaborative $78,933
Ecumenical Social Action Committee $57,607
Mujeres Unidas Avanzando $40,000
Notre Dame Education Center $60,000

FY 2016 CDBG PS List of Grantees

Agency FY 16 Funding Amount
Allston-Brighton APAC $20,000
Artists for Humanity $50,000
Asian American Civic Association $50,000
Bay Cove Human Services $40,000
Bird Street Community Center $20,000
Boston Asian Youth Essential Service $20,000
Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center $40,000
Boston Higher Education Resource Center $40,000
Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester $40,000
Casa Myrna Vazquez $35,000
Catholic Charities dba Teen Center at St. Peter's $20,000
Catholic Charities dba Haitian Multi Service Center $20,000
Crittenton Women's Union $55,000
Crossroads $40,000
DEAF Inc. $35,000
East Boston Social Centers $20,000
Ecumenical Social Action Committee $35,000
Elizabeth Stone House $35,000
Ethos $35,000
Fenway CDC $35,000
Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age $35,000
Greater Boston Legal Services $35,000
Haitian American Public Health Initiative $40,000
Hyde Square Task Force $40,000
JP Neighborhood Development Corporation $65,000
Justice Resource Institute - STRIVE $55,000
International Institute of Boston $40,000
Irish International Immigration Center $20,000
Jackson Mann Community School & Council $20,000
La Alianza Hispana $35,000
MA Alliance of Portuguese Speakers $40,000
MAB Community Services $35,000
Mujeres Unidas Avanzando $40,000
New England Center for Arts & Technology $20,000
North Suffolk Mental Health Association $35,000
Notre Dame Education Center $40,000
Operation ABLE of Greater Boston $50,000
Partners for Youth with Disabilities $35,000
Project Hope $65,000
Project Place $65,000
Roca, Inc. $65,000
Somali Development Center $30,000
St. Francis House $40,000
Tobin Community Center $20,000
United South End Settlements $20,000
Veronica B. Smith Multi-Service Senior Center $35,000
Viet-Aid $30,000
West End House $50,000
YMCA Training, Inc. $50,000
Zumix $40,000

FY 2016 WIOA Youth List of Grantees

Agency FY 16 Funding Amount
ABCD Career Exploration $265,894
ABCD University High $256,265
Catholic Charities dba El Centro del Cardenal $116,768
College Bound Dorchester $115,000
East Boston Neighborhood Health Center $82,851
EDCO Collaborative $200,925
More Than Words $77,000
Notre Dame Education Center $67,323
Sociedad Latina $116,116
X-Cel $77,000
Year Up $70,000
YouthBuild Boston $89,600
 

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