The WorkFirst Foundation
$400,000 / 2012 / Workforce Development
For continued support of the Baltimore Ex-Offender Re-entry Employment Program for America Works of Maryland participants. The program offers two-week training sessions, enrolling ex-offenders and those recently released from prison, and then placing them into employment.
Job Opportunities Task Force
$75,000 / 2012 / Workforce Development
For continued support of the Baltimore CASH Campaign, an initiative designed to increase the use of the earned income tax credit. Each year, the campaign serves more than 8,000 residents by operating 15 to 17 free tax preparation sites, and partnering with sites that offer tax preparation and asset development services.
Year Up Baltimore
$200,000 / 2012 / Workforce Development
Toward continued support and expansion of the Year Up Baltimore Program, which provides 80 young adults in Baltimore City with a year of IT (information technology) training. Year Up students earn 25 college credits at Baltimore City Community College, and are placed in paid internships with local partner companies to gain work experience in IT.
Job Opportunities Task Force
$125,000 / 2012 / Workforce Development
Toward continued support of the JumpStart Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program, which serves 70 low-income Baltimore City residents. The 13-week program provides participants with training in handling tools; construction math; workplace safety; and specialized training in the carpentry, electrical, and plumbing trades. Classroom instruction is followed by job placement. Candidates must remain employed for 90 days before they can enroll into a four-year apprenticeship program.
Art with a Heart
$35,000 / 2012 / Workforce Development
For support and expansion of the 2012 Summer Job Program, a visual arts initiative serving 50 at-risk Baltimore City youth. Participants from Rose Street Community Center, Paul’s Place, and Dr. Raynor Brown Elementary/Middle School enroll in a four-week, five-days-a-week program and are given the opportunity to create and market their artwork. They receive job and life-skills training; work two, two-hour shifts in the retail store; and receive stipends of $10 per day as part of the summer work experience.