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Workforce Development
To help low-income people gain the skills and access necessary to secure quality employment and achieve upward mobility.
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Alameda County Health Pipeline Partnership -
$20,000
Fiscal Sponsor: Berkeley Youth Alternatives
A number of local clinics and hospitals have developed education and training programs to encourage high school and community college students of color to pursue health careers—a sector in which they are under-represented. The Alameda County Health Pipeline Partnership facilitates cross-agency collaboration and capacity-building to enhance the effectiveness of these programs. It will focus on three objectives in 2012: increasing the recruitment and retention of young men of color in health care training programs; strengthening collaboration among participating programs; and joint fundraising.
Grant Amount:
$20,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 09/30/2011 through 09/30/2012
Project Web Site: www.acphd.org
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BayBio Institute -
$30,000
BayBio Institute provides bioscience industry support for entrepreneurship, science education, and career development in this sector. Recognizing the value of applied learning and the scarcity of internship opportunities, BayBio Institute is now working with City College of San Francisco and bioscience employers to develop a contract research organization from which companies will be able to purchase production services. Students will perform the work as part of or in addition to their coursework. This model provides students with valuable practical experience and the means to meaningfully connect with prospective employers.
Grant Amount:
$30,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 05/20/2011 through 05/20/2012
Project Web Site: www.baybioinstitute.org
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Beyond Emancipation -
$30,000
Beyond Emancipation joins with Laney Community College in Oakland to offer a program that assists former foster youth in enrolling in and graduating from community college. At present, only 2% of emancipated foster youth earn a bachelor’s degree. The program, called b2b Learning Community, provides 20 students with two years of personal support and academic counseling. The program includes a two-week summer orientation, leadership and team building activities, and shared courses.
Grant Amount:
$30,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 09/23/2011 through 09/23/2012
Project Web Site: www.beyondemancipation.org
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The Bread Project -
$60,000
The Bread Project provides low-income individuals who face significant barriers to employment with a gateway to commercial food sector careers. Students in its Berkeley café train in food preparation and service for nine weeks, while its Emeryville commercial bakery offers a twelve-week, hands-on baking program. In 2011, The Bread Project saw 200 students through graduation, placing 65% of them in jobs.
Grant Amount:
$60,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 11/18/2011 through 11/18/2012
Project Web Site: www.breadproject.org
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Brightline Defense -
$30,000
An advocacy organization based in San Francisco’s southeast, Brightline Defense proved instrumental in the development and passage of the Local Hire Policy adopted by the city’s Board of Supervisors in December 2010. This grant from the Fund supports Brightline's work to monitor and bolster the Local Hire Program during its first year of implementation. The organization will provide input into the program's rules and regulations, monitor policy application in developments across multiple city departments, and serve as a conduit for information between the city and community stakeholders.
Grant Amount:
$30,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 05/20/2011 through 05/20/2012
Project Web Site: www.brightlinedefense.org
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Chinatown Families Economic Self-Sufficiency Coalition -
$15,000
Fiscal Sponsor: Community Youth Center of San Francisco
Chinatown Families Economic Self-Sufficiency Coalition facilitates collaboration among nonprofits and public agencies to address English language learning and workforce training. One of its current focuses is on improving the quality of English language instruction offered by City College of San Francisco. To that end, it hosted a series of focus groups where strategies for improving these programs surfaced, including moving ESL training into community organizations such as Head Start, and integrating ESL into more vocational training pathways within the college. This grant from the Fund supports the Coalition's ongoing planning and advocacy to improve ESL training opportunities.
Grant Amount:
$15,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 05/30/2011 through 05/30/2012
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Chinese for Affirmative Action -
$50,000
Chinese for Affirmative Action advocates for Asian and Pacific Islander immigrants in San Francisco, using education and workforce development to increase their access to opportunity. This grant supports Chinese for Affirmative Action's work to involve immigrant parents as leaders in school district reform. The organization will also provide direct job-search and placement services along with advocacy to ensure effective implementation of San Francisco's Local Hire Policy. This grant is split between the Fund's Education and Economic Security programs, $30,000 and $20,000 respectively. The listing has been duplicated in both areas.
Grant Amount:
$50,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 07/06/2011 through 07/06/2012
Project Web Site: www.caasf.org
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Community Housing Partnership -
$25,000
Community Housing Partnership, a nationally recognized leader in the “supportive housing” field, provides deeply subsidized, permanent rental housing for more than 1,200 formerly homeless adults and children in San Francisco. This grant from the Fund supports CHP’s training programs, which prepare 75 supportive housing residents each year for jobs as desk clerks and maintenance workers. Each training program has a well-tested curriculum and a clear path to job placement—primarily within San Francisco’s extensive affordable housing network.
Grant Amount:
$25,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 09/13/2011 through 09/13/2012
Project Web Site: www.chp-sf.org
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Cypress Mandela Training Center -
$50,000
Major infrastructure projects are creating new jobs in the construction sector. Oakland’s Cypress Mandela Training Center prepares low-income young adults for these jobs with an intensive, 16-week training program. Participants learn the fundamentals of the construction trade as well as basic elements of other related trades. Students earn community college credit and may test for additional certifications. Central to the program’s success is its use of union instructors and its agreements with specific employers to recruit Cypress graduates.
Grant Amount:
$50,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 11/18/2011 through 11/18/2012
Project Web Site: www.cypressmandela.org
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The English Center for International Women -
$10,000
The English Center offers a highly effective English language program and job-placement support for new immigrants. Most English Center students are low-income and receive tuition assistance primarily through the federal Pell grant program, which is linked to financial need. In 2006, the Center created a scholarship program for working poor students whose earnings are just high enough to make them ineligible for a full Pell grant but who cannot afford tuition and fees. The Fund's challenge grant provides a 1:1 match up to $10,000 for the scholarship fund.
Grant Amount:
$10,000 [2011] conditional
Project Dates: 02/09/2011 through 02/09/2012
Project Web Site: www.englishcenter.edu
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Jewish Vocational Services -
$100,000
Jewish Vocational Services (JVS), a nationally recognized leader in the field of workforce development, receives wide respect as a robust Bay Area Jewish institution. In 2010, JVS helped 2,500 people increase their job skills, look for work, build their professional networks, and advance their careers. Known for the depth of its partnerships with employers, JVS tailors most of its programs to the needs of specific employment sectors, including health care, green jobs, retail, and financial services. The Fund supports this agency's efforts to strengthen the earning potential of its clients as well as its work to better translate the Jewish underpinnings of its work to people of all faiths.
This grant is split evenly between the Economic Security and Jewish Life programs. The listing has been duplicated in both areas.
Grant Amount:
$100,000 [2011]
,
$100,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/04/2011 through 04/04/2013
Project Web Site: www.jvs.org
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Mobilizing America's Youth -
$25,000
Mobilize.org seeks to engage the "millennial generation" (those born between 1976 and 1996) in addressing the challenges of our time. Most recently, Mobilize.org prioritized supporting community college students' efforts to improve graduation rates at community colleges. At a recent education summit held in San Jose attended by 100 students and the Chancellor of the California Community College system, seven student-led projects promoting student success were selected in a competitive process. These projects received implementation grants and a year of technical assistance from Mobilize.org. This grant supports the technical assistance.
Grant Amount:
$25,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 05/20/2011 through 05/20/2012
Project Web Site: www.mobilize.org
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Regents of the University of California/Community Outreach and Internship Program (UCSF) -
$30,000
This long-standing program trains individuals receiving public assistance (primarily single parents receiving CalWORKS) and provides four months of paid work experience at UCSF. Through a partnership with Jewish Vocational Services, participants receive 10 weeks of job-readiness and technology training, plus instruction in UCSF’s proprietary software. Historically, 80% of internship graduates have been placed in unsubsidized employment either at UCSF or with other health care facilities.
Grant Amount:
$30,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 12/08/2011 through 12/08/2012
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Rubicon Programs -
$30,000
Rubicon Programs is a leading workforce and social service provider operating in Richmond, Berkeley, and Oakland. Its robust economic mobility program is tailored for people who have been incarcerated or homeless, who are unemployed, or who have minimal job skills. With support from the Fund, Rubicon is launching a pilot program to help 30 clients enroll in and complete vocational training and secure next tier employment. It will develop partnerships with community college and nonprofit vocational training programs and explore opportunities to provide social services and job placement supports for students already connected to community colleges.
Grant Amount:
$30,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 05/20/2011 through 05/20/2012
Project Web Site: www.rubiconprograms.org
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SF Made -
$35,000
SF Made seeks to build and support a vibrant manufacturing sector in San Francisco, one that sustains local manufacturers and creates diverse employment opportunities. This grant from the Fund supplies tools, training, and one-on-one advice that helps local manufacturers plan for their hiring needs, find qualified workers through city agencies, and complete the hiring process. With SF Made’s support, small manufacturers are less reluctant to initiate new hires and better able to identify strong candidates from San Francisco’s low-income communities.
Grant Amount:
$35,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 05/20/2011 through 05/20/2012
Project Web Site: www.sfmade.org
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The Stride Center -
$50,000
The Stride Center provides students with supportive IT training, reduced-price computers, and job search skills. Given this training and support, people with barriers to employment find excellent job opportunities in the information technology sector. In 2011, 80% of Stride program participants secured at least one certification and 62% secured jobs. The Stride Center further increases its students’ chances by partnering with more than 50 companies that hire its graduates. It also operates a successful social enterprise that provides affordable technology support to businesses, non-profits, and individuals.
Grant Amount:
$50,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 11/18/2011 through 11/18/2012
Project Web Site: www.stridecenter.org
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Wardrobe for Opportunity -
$50,000
Providing professional attire and image coaching to people with low incomes and deep barriers to employment, Wardrobe for Opportunity added a series of programs that focus on building skills for career development. Programs include a six-week training on communication, conflict resolution, and teamwork; a yearlong career advancement program; and professional network development services. More than 50 nonprofit organizations pay Wardrobe for Opportunity to work with their clients.
Grant Amount:
$50,000 [2011]
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$50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 11/18/2011 through 11/18/2013
Project Web Site: www.wardrobe.org
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Year Up -
$75,000
Year Up achieves tremendous success preparing young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds for careers in information technology. The program combines technical training, internships, college credits, a behavior management system, and comprehensive support. During the first half of a year long course, participants attend classes teaching the technical and business communication skills needed to succeed in help desk and quality-assurance positions. Students spend the second half of the year in full time internships. Corporate partners are central to the program design, guiding the training curriculum and frequently hiring graduates.
Grant Amount:
$75,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 07/06/2011 through 07/06/2012
Project Web Site: www.yearup.org
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Asset Building
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Alameda County Community Asset Network -
$30,000
Fiscal Sponsor: Community Financial Resources
Alameda County Community Asset Network is a membership organization of East Bay nonprofits that strives to increase assets and economic mobility for low-income residents. This grant supports the Network’s partnering with the Alameda County Department of Public Health to reduce the use of predatory financial services, such as payday lenders, check cashers, rent-to-own stores, and pawnshops. A “Consumer Savvy Toolkit” developed by the Network trains consumers to assess financial products and services, teaches how fringe products impact personal and community budgets, and encourages the use of quality services.
Grant Amount:
$30,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 05/20/2011 through 05/20/2012
Project Web Site: www.alamedacountycan.org/
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CEO Women -
$25,000
For the last decade, CEO Women has trained and supported immigrant women entrepreneurs, offering a unique focus on integrating English language instruction into its business development curriculum. Facing an imminent leadership change and an increasingly challenging funding environment, this grant from the Fund helped CEO Women analyze options for its future. In December 2011, the organization closed.
Grant Amount:
$25,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 08/02/2011 through 08/02/2012
Project Web Site: www.ceowomen.org
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Earned Assets Resource Network -
$90,000
Earned Assets Resource Network (EARN) is the largest provider of matched savings accounts for low-income savers in the country. EARN’s vision is to change the financial trajectory of millions of poor families so they can move out of poverty permanently. Its commitment to having a large-scale impact drives not only the constant review and revision of its own services, but also its thoughtful work in research and policy advocacy. Since its inception in 2009, EARN has helped 3,410 households save $4.7 million of their own money. With a 2:1 match, it has leveraged nearly $15 million for asset investments.
Grant Amount:
$90,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 11/18/2011 through 11/18/2012
Project Web Site: www.sfearn.org
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Fremont Family Resource Center Corporation -
$20,000
The Fremont Family Resource Center integrates the social services provided by multiple agencies so that they more effectively benefit their shared clients. This grant from the Fund strengthens the Center’s capacity to bundle services for families. It ensures that people who come in search of one resource get connected to all the other resources for which they are eligible. The Center is adopting United Way’s “Sparkpoint” service-integration model and client-tracking system in order to assess its impact over time.
Grant Amount:
$20,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 09/14/2011 through 09/14/2012
Project Web Site: www.fremont.gov
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Kindergarten to College -
$50,000
Fiscal Sponsor: EARN
Research indicates that children with college savings accounts of any size are seven times more likely to attend college, regardless of their personal income level. Kindergarten to College, a first-of-its-kind initiative, aims to put every student in the San Francisco Unified School District on the path to higher education by starting college savings accounts for them. Each student receives an account seeded with a $50 deposit when they enroll in kindergarten. Low-income children who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches receive an additional $50 deposit.
Grant Amount:
$50,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 07/06/2011 through 07/06/2012
Project Web Site: www.k2csf.org
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Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area -
$40,000
Free and discounted legal services are an invaluable resource for low-income entrepreneurs who are striving to build strong businesses. The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights’ Legal Service for Entrepreneurs program provides free legal clinics, workshops, and one-on-one pro bono legal advice on topics including developing contracts, entity formation, intellectual property, and lease negotiations.
Grant Amount:
$40,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 09/27/2011 through 09/27/2012
Project Web Site: www.lccr.com
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Mission Asset Fund -
$60,000
Mission Asset Fund creates culturally appropriate asset-building products and services for low-income immigrants. Ethnically diverse Mission neighborhood residents are the organization's core client base, but enthusiasm for its programs is driving expansion. Mission Asset Fund’s Cestas Populares program formalizes peer-lending circles by processing transactions through a bank partner, allowing participants to improve their credit scores. Partnerships with five San Francisco and three East Bay nonprofits supporting Cestas serve to expand this program. The Mission Asset Fund's most recent initiative provides consumers of fringe financial services with information about the true costs of these products as compared to their mainstream alternatives.
Grant Amount:
$60,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 07/06/2011 through 07/06/2012
Project Web Site: www.missionassetfund.org
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Mission SF Community Financial Center -
$50,000
Mission SF Community Financial Center engages young people in a peer-led, age-appropriate financial education and saving program. Partnering with eight youth employment programs in San Francisco, its MY Path efforts deliver a comprehensive financial education curriculum that covers budgeting, saving, understanding financial institutions and accounts, managing debt, and building credit. Participants will learn how to establish and achieve savings goals, use direct deposit to grow their savings, and—as a reward for meeting goals—be entered into a raffle to win money towards future goals.
Grant Amount:
$50,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 07/06/2011 through 07/06/2012
Project Web Site: www.mission.coop
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Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center -
$60,000
Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center is an established small-business development organization that offers a broad range of programs and services to help low- and moderate-income people to establish their own businesses. It is known for its robust array of hands-on, intensive, business-development classes and workshops. The Center offers advanced classes in marketing and finance and an array of skill-building and industry-specific workshops. It has also created an online, 10-session business planning class.
Grant Amount:
$60,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 11/18/2011 through 11/18/2012
Project Web Site: www.rencenter.org
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Single Stop USA -
$50,000
Single Stop USA provides economic support to low-income community college students who are struggling to make ends meet. Single Stop screened 1,500 students at City College of San Francisco and Peralta District campuses in 2010, helping them secure a broad range of income supports and expense-reducing benefits, such as Cal Fresh. The group added free tax filing to its offerings in 2011, helping over 2,000 students file returns and collect refunds. Single Stop also offers students individualized financial counseling, with credit building and debt management being students' most common goals.
Grant Amount:
$50,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 07/06/2011 through 07/06/2012
Project Web Site: www.singlestopusa.org
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WAGES (Women's Action to Gain Economic Security) -
$65,000
Women’s Action to Gain Economic Security develops worker-owned housecleaning cooperatives that use environmentally friendly cleaning techniques. It provides a three-year incubation period for newly established co-ops, during which new member-owners are recruited and trained in all aspects of the business. It also provides ongoing training and support for more mature businesses. WAGES established a new co-op in San Francisco last year, bringing its total to five businesses collectively employing 106 Latina women.
Grant Amount:
$65,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 11/18/2011 through 11/18/2012
Project Web Site: www.wagescooperatives.org
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Foreclosure Response
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California Reinvestment Coalition -
$40,000
The California Reinvestment Coalition serves as a prominent voice in local efforts to influence bank policies and procedures that affect homeowners at risk of foreclosure. In 2010, the Coalition worked with the PICO National Network and other leading advocacy groups to support the establishment of the Federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and it helped design the Keep Your Home California program. Support from the Fund bolsters the Coalition's ongoing advocacy to increase the pace of loan modifications, reduce loan principles when appropriate, and sustain funding for housing counseling.
Grant Amount:
$40,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 02/09/2011 through 02/09/2012
Project Web Site: www.calreinvest.org
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Community Housing Development Corporation of North Richmond -
$35,000
Twenty percent of the families who come to Community Housing Development Corporation of North Richmond for housing assistance live in Alameda County. In 2010, Community Housing assisted 728 homeowners facing foreclosure by providing effective loss-mitigation and foreclosure prevention counseling services. Support from the Fund enables the organization's ongoing efforts, specifically its services for Alameda County residents.
Grant Amount:
$35,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 02/09/2011 through 02/09/2012
Project Web Site: www.chdcnr.com
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Housing Economic Rights Advocates -
$65,000
Housing Economic Rights Advocates (HERA) is the leading Bay Area organization providing legal assistance in the foreclosure process. It offers information and referrals to homeowners facing default or foreclosure; one-on-one assistance in the loan-modification process; legal representation; and it maintains contracts with a number of housing counseling organizations to help identify fraud and abuse. HERA's staff assisted 1,600 households throughout the Bay Area in 2010.
Grant Amount:
$65,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 04/04/2011 through 04/04/2012
Project Web Site: www.heraca.org
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Mission Economic Development Agency -
$50,000
The foreclosure-mitigation program at Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) has a special focus on helping low-income Latino households—half of their clients—and Asian Pacific Islanders, who represent another 20 percent. In 2010, MEDA undertook several steps to strengthen its programs, including adding an online tool for submitting loan documents to servicers, extensive training for staff on mortgage-modification and financial coaching, and design of a financial education curriculum that is now being integrated into all of MEDA's programs.
Grant Amount:
$50,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 04/04/2011 through 04/04/2012
Project Web Site: www.medasf.org
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Pacific Institute for Community Organizations / PICO National Network -
$60,000
The PICO National Network leads a national grassroots organizing campaign to stem the tide of foreclosures and promote bank accountability. PICO affiliate organizations in Oakland and Contra Costa County take the vanguard in this work, effectively elevating the voices of Bay Area residents and offering strategic leadership to the national Bank Accountability campaign. A core objective of the Network is to influence major banks to do more to help distressed homeowners keep their homes.
Grant Amount:
$60,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 04/04/2011 through 04/04/2012
Project Web Site: www.piconetwork.org
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San Francisco Housing Development Corporation -
$50,000
San Francisco Housing Development Corporation (SFHDC) provides foreclosure-mitigation services primarily for residents of the city's Bayview, Visitacion Valley, and Fillmore neighborhoods. In January 2011 alone, 198 homes went into foreclosure in these neighborhoods, representing 58% of foreclosures citywide. SFHDC's counselors offer workshops on the foreclosure process as well as individual assistance to help homeowners prepare loan-modification proposals.
Grant Amount:
$25,000 [2011] $25,000 conditional
Project Dates: 04/04/2011 through 04/04/2012
Project Web Site: www.sfhdc.org
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Spanish-Speaking Unity Council of Alameda County / Unity Council -
$50,000
The Unity Council assists more homeowners facing foreclosure in Alameda County than any other program, doing so with an impressive level of sophistication. In January 2010, it launched an online portal through which homeowners sign up for assistance and prepare and submit loan-modification requests. Confronting the harsh reality that the vast majority of their clients will not be able to keep their homes, the organization is putting greater emphasis on helping families recover from foreclosure-related trauma. In 2011, it will expand financial counseling and add support groups focused on rebuilding a sense of financial empowerment. The Fund supports the Unity Council in helping to plot a new course towards economic security for its clients.
Grant Amount:
$50,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 04/04/2011 through 04/04/2012
Project Web Site: www.unitycouncil.org
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Urban Strategies Council -
$50,000
Urban Strategies Council continues to develop the Oakland Community Land Trust, which acquires, rehabilitates, and resells foreclosed homes in East Oakland. These homes sit on land owned by the Trust, and covenants in their mortgages ensure the homes remain affordable by limiting resale price and buyer income. By 2011, the Trust had purchased 17 foreclosed homes, renovated six, and sold two. The Fund supports Urban Strategies Council in its efforts to help East Oakland residents navigate the foreclosure crisis.
Grant Amount:
$50,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 04/04/2011 through 04/04/2012
Project Web Site: www.urbanstrategies.org
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Capital
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Asset Funders Network -
$10,000
Fiscal Sponsor: Philanthropy New York
Asset Funders Network is a national affinity group that seeks to build the capacity of foundations to effectively promote economic mobility. It provides increasing support for programs and policies that help low-wealth individuals build and protect assets. The Network offers learning opportunities for funders through webinars and in-person meetings on topics of importance to the field. It provides proactive outreach to increase the number of foundations that invest in asset building. The Network also focuses attention and resources on a different asset strategy each year to propel its advancement.
Grant Amount:
$10,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 02/18/2011 through 02/18/2012
Project Web Site: www.assetfunders.org
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Policy/Field Building
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East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE) -
$35,000
In 2012, the Port of Oakland and the city of Oakland will finalize plans to develop 333-acres of the Oakland Army Base into a world-class trade and logistics center. The East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy is working closely with Mayor Quan and all the relevant stakeholders to craft a community jobs program to ensure the creation of living-wage jobs and local community hiring practices at the development.
Grant Amount:
$35,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 09/14/2011 through 09/14/2012
Project Web Site: www.workingeastbay.org
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New America Foundation -
$65,000
Sound public policy is critical to helping low-income people build assets and protect themselves from predatory financial services. New America Foundation is an important source of new ideas and analysis in this regard, and it is one of a handful of organizations that California policymakers turn to for guidance in developing legislation in the asset-building field. New America has championed several major local program initiatives including Bank On San Francisco and Kindergarten to College. In 2012, the Foundation will be working with Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom’s office to design a consumer education and protection initiative.
Grant Amount:
$65,000 [2011]
Project Dates: 11/18/2011 through 11/18/2012
Project Web Site: www.newamerica.net
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