Nonprofit Technology, Philanthropy
Prnewswire | April 10, 2023
After-School All-Stars, one of the largest providers of free, comprehensive after-school programs in the United States, today announced that it has received $2.45 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Pathways for Youth program that will bring virtual and augmented reality career simulations to youth at after-school programs in Los Angeles, Cleveland, Newark, and Miami. In collaboration with immersive learning pioneer Transfr, the "Stars at Work'' program will connect young people with hands-on career exploration simulations that offer real-world experience in a variety of fast-growing jobs and industries.
"We need to find creative ways to make career exploration more engaging and interactive in order to help young people prepare for a fast-changing economy," said Ben Paul, CEO of After-School All-Stars. "This collaboration has provided thousands of students firsthand experience with what it's like to work in the fields of robotics, hospitality, and emergency services. It's about helping students build the skills to transform a job into a long-term, rewarding career."
The announcement comes at a time of rising uncertainty around the future of the labor market for students and working adults alike—as well as a growing share of students and young adults who are disconnected from school and employment. Nationally, there are approximately 4.6 million "opportunity youth" ages 16-24, who are neither in school or employed. Against that backdrop, K-12 schools and after-school programs have increased their focus on helping middle and high school students foster connections between their classroom experiences and their future ambitions.
"Stars at Work" will offer an interactive and engaging new way for students to explore careers using a virtual reality curriculum covering 23 dynamic industries introducing disadvantaged youth to careers they might not have otherwise considered. Through the simulations, students receive a hands-on, real-world view of a variety of workplace settings in industries ranging from automotive trades, manufacturing and construction careers, hospitality services, and healthcare training.
Founded in 1992 by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, After-School All-Stars is one of five national organizations selected to participate in the $12 million second round of Workforce Pathways for Youth program, first launched by the U.S. Department of Labor's Education and Training Administration in 2020 to support recovery efforts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant program is designed to help bridge the gap between existing out-of-school time programs—including after-schools, youth enrichment, and summer camps—and the need for career exploration and enrichment opportunities that can prepare students to enter the workforce.
At After-School All-Stars programs in the four major metro areas covered by this grant, students will be able to access immersive VR training experiences that enable students to experience skilled trades without requiring specialized equipment and extensive travel.
After completing the career exploration program, students will have the option to participate in early career placement opportunities that will help them build new skills and set them on a path to long-term success in their chosen industry. After-School All-Stars and Transfr have assembled a team of regional employer partners that includes Manufacturing Works, Diamond Metals Distribution - Cleveland, MY Workforce Solutions - Los Angeles, InterContinental Hotels, and Chick-fil-A - National.
"Enabling young people to acquire the skills needed to access and succeed in growing industries must be an essential part of our long-term strategy for building a more inclusive and equitable economy." said Bharani Rajakumar, CEO and founder of Transfr. "This is about giving students the tools to envision themselves in careers that they might never have considered while building a highly skilled workforce that meets the needs of today's employers."
About After-School All-Stars
Founded in 1992 by Arnold Schwarzenegger, After-School All-Stars is a leading national provider of school-based, free, comprehensive after-school programs. The organization's mission is to keep children safe and help them succeed in school and in life. Every school day, students in under-resourced communities have access to free programs that allow them to increase academic readiness, explore career opportunities, develop regular health and wellness habits, practice visual and performing arts, and build STEM skills. 90,000+ children from 19 U.S. locations benefit: Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Newark, New York, North Texas, Orlando, Philadelphia & Camden, San Antonio, South Florida, Tampa Bay, Toledo, Washington D.C., Bay Area and Puget Sound.
About Transfr
Transfr's mission is to train the future of every industry by opening up new opportunities for people across the globe. Transfr helps create unique pathways to well-paying jobs available now in high-demand fields, enabling learners to find job security and economic prosperity, facilitated by immersive, hands-on training.
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Nonprofit Technology
Prnewswire | March 29, 2023
The Dallas Foundation, the first community foundation in Texas, has implemented CommunitySuite, Grant Lifecycle Manager and Scholarship Lifecycle Manager from Foundant Technologies (Foundant), a leader in making philanthropy easier and more impactful through innovative software solutions and exceptional client experiences.
The Dallas Foundation replaced its previous "big name" CRM, financial management and grant management systems with Foundant's integrated solutions, which has significantly increased the Foundation's impact on and contributions to its community.
"We can punch above our weight because our technology infrastructure is comprehensive, reliable and easy to use," said Matthew Randazzo, president and CEO of The Dallas Foundation. "CommunitySuite has freed up our staff substantially so they can focus more on high-value, strategic activities and engage more deeply in servicing the community. This is only possible because we are spending less time managing and questioning our data and more time leveraging that data within one integrated ecosystem."
Prior to implementing Foundant's solutions, The Dallas Foundation was manually managing disparate software solutions that didn't play well with each other. This approach meant the staff was spending significant time on low-value, transactional tasks that were not contributing to the Foundation's mission or positively impacting the community. CommunitySuite allows the Foundation to leverage one comprehensive solution to manage every aspect of its operations in a cohesive and unified way.
"Not only can we do more in less time, but our time is more impactful now. Our team is more engaged and energized because they are doing high-leverage, satisfying work, which is what drew them to work with the foundation in the first place. It feeds their purpose and allows them to do their best work in a way that rote admin tasks cannot," added Randazzo.
The Dallas Foundation manages over 700 funds and has awarded more than $1 billion over the course of its long history. Since the Foundation's inception, the mission has consistently improved lives and made progress throughout North Texas. Grant investments currently focus on programs that benefit children ages birth to three as well as those that advance equity and inclusion, ensure community and economic resilience, and enhance the community's nonprofit ecosystem.
"Foundant has revolutionized how our finance team spends their time," added Randazzo. "It used to take multiple members of the team one-third of the working month to produce monthly fund statements. Now, with CommunitySuite, one team member completes all that work in less than one day."
In addition to streamlining the Foundation's operations, Foundant's CommunitySuite solution enables a more robust, easy-to-use donor portal, allowing donors to:
Recommend grants
Access fund balances, statements, shared documents and tax receipts
See a real-time view of account activities
"CommunitySuite is the only market-based solution that understands the complexity of community foundations, and they truly are a trusted partner," added Randazzo. "From selection to go-live, Foundant has walked alongside us, and they remain committed to our success."
About Foundant Technologies
Foundant Technologies has specialized in making philanthropy easier and more impactful through innovative software solutions and exceptional client experiences since 2007. Passionate about philanthropy, Foundants' team is dedicated to meeting the unique needs of grantmakers, scholarship providers, community foundations and nonprofits to enable change-makers to make the world a better place for all. More than 3,000 funders and nonprofits use Foundant's software to transform their organizations and maximize their impact in the communities they serve.
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Nonprofit Technology, Philanthropy
GlobeNewswire | March 24, 2023
Unity Care, a nonprofit organization that provides housing and support services to youth in and exiting from foster care throughout California, was recently awarded a $100,000 grant by the California State Coastal Conservancy. The grant will work to fund a program known as The Seasons of Learning: Coastal Edition, which will connect youth in foster care to coastal activities that allow them to explore our state’s coasts while introducing key concepts of career exploration and nature conservation.
Funding from the Conservancy will allow Unity Care to connect 80 of the youth served by the agency across three of the regions in which Unity Care operates (San Francisco/East Bay Area, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and Northern California) with monthly excursions that allow youth to learn about and explore California coasts.
On March 2, 2023, Unity Care held its first youth engagement trip of The Seasons of Learning: Coastal Edition program and brought 20 program participants to The California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Participants learned about California's coastal environments, nature conservation, and possible career paths within conservation and preservation. After the visit to the Academy, one youth participant said, “if I could give this a million stars, I would!”
About Unity Care
Unity Care, established in 1993, is a youth and family agency that offers safe and stable housing for youth and young adults aging out of the foster care system. The nationally accredited organization provides supportive services, through housing and other programs, to transitional foster-care youth aged 16-25 in El Dorado, Placer, San Mateo, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Alameda, Nevada, and Monterey counties.
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