Grants

NPower, Inc.

In 2016, with support from the Abell Foundation and others, NPower replicated its IT training program for low-income young adults in Baltimore.  NPower’s core training program begins with 15 weeks of classroom instruction that prepares participants for industry certifications. The academic portion focuses on teaching fundamental IT skills, including operating systems, servers, network security, and databases. In addition to receiving instruction and certification in CompTIA A+, students are now receiving instruction and certifications in Cloud Computing, Linux systems administration, network administration, and Windows Server Administration.  Following the classroom instruction,  NPower participants  enter a seven-week paid internship at a local employer, working four days per week, while one day is spent in professional development activities in the classroom.  In the coming year, NPower plans to enroll 150 low-income young adults into training, graduating 120 and placing 102 into employment. 

Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition, Inc.

Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition provides research on economic rights and consumer protection issues; educates policymakers and the public about economic rights issues, and provides consumer awareness and education campaigns to individuals and organizations. MCRC serves low-income homeowners and renters through the Low Income Forgotten Tax (LIFT) program that helps them access the Homeowners and Renters Tax Credit programs and public benefits. This grant provided support staff and outreach expenses for the LIFT program.

Maryland Center for Adult Training, Inc.

The Maryland Center for Adult Training (MCAT) provides market-specific, technology-based, vocational training for the economically disadvantaged Baltimore City residents.  Last year, MCAT enrolled 87 Certified Nursing Assistant/Geriatric Nursing Assistant (CNA/GNA) students.  Of the 87 students enrolled, 74 students (or 85 percent) completed their certification training, with a grade average of 85 percent or higher. Of those graduates, 66 students (or 89 percent) became employed, earning an average annual salary of $23,207.  MCAT also offered a Patient Care Technician training program, enrolling eight students.  All eight successfully completed the training course, became nationally certified and are now employed, earning an average salary of $30,680. In the coming year, MCAT plans to train 45 students as CNAs/GNAs 15 students as Patient Care Technicians.

The Literacy Lab

As the first national replication partner of the successful Minnesota Reading Corps,The Literacy Lab’s core capability is delivering research and evidence-based literacy interventions to students in high poverty schools who are at risk for reading failure by the end of third grade. Partnering with Baltimore City Schools since 2016, Literacy Lab uses two models: in the Pre-K model, tutors are placed in a single classroom where they are trained to provide individual and small group literacy interventions.   In kindergarten through third grade settings, the tutors provide pullout one-on-one reading interventions for 20 minutes daily, five days per week, to a rotating caseload of 16 to18 students.  This Abell grant will support the expansion of Literacy Lab to 15 Baltimore City elementary schools and will serve close to 900 PreK-3rd grade struggling readers; 70% of participants will show significant growth.

 

Job Opportunities Task Force

The Job Opportunities Task Force (JOTF) is an independent nonprofit organization that works to develop and advocate policies and programs to increase the skills, job opportunities, and incomes of low-skill, low-income Maryland workers and job seekers.  In partnership with Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), JOTF operates Project JumpStart, a pre-apprenticeship construction program that provides low-income Baltimore City residents with 14 weeks of pre-apprenticeship training in plumbing, electrical and carpentry.  With funding from the Abell Foundation, Project Jumpstart plans to serve 125 residents over six classes in two locations in Baltimore City. Approximately 80% of those who are enrolled will complete; 75% of those who complete will be placed into employment with wages averaging over $12/hr.  For the past two years, 28% of those who are placed into employment have enrolled into the four-year ABC apprenticeship program. First-year apprentices earn between $12 and $16 per hour; with annual increases, by the time an apprentice graduates in four years and obtains journeymen status, he or she is earning $24 to $36 per hour.