Through a grant from Ballmer Group, the National Fund for Workforce Solutions is partnering with communities to promote systemic improvements to workforce, educational, and business practices

The National Fund for Workforce Solutions today announced that it is awarding nearly $2.4 million to four regions—Atlanta, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Syracuse—to address critical systemic barriers to low-wage workers’ economic mobility. Despite eight years of economic growth, too many hardworking American families cannot meet basic living expenses, even though they are employed. Chosen from among nineteen applicants, the selected communities will develop innovative approaches tailored to their labor market and regional economy.

The Baltimore Workforce Funders Collaborative, a collaborative hosted by the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers, will receive $600,000 spread over three years.

The three-year investment, made possible by the Ballmer Group, will drive strategic efforts to increase employment and advancement opportunities through improved workforce development policies, educational and training outcomes, and employer practices. The data and learning that come from this initiative will allow the National Fund to help other communities overcome local barriers to inclusive economic advancement and promote economic security for more American households.

For its part, the Baltimore Workforce Funders Collaborative will address inequity and economic immobility using three concurrent, interrelated strategies. The collaborative will develop and implement shared data systems that disaggregate workforce program data by demographic characteristics including race and gender, expand a workforce development community of practice to support the implementation of concrete racial equity strategies, and advocate for local and state policy reforms that address fundamental obstacles to economic mobility. Through separate grant sources, the collaborative also will champion and grow businesses that commit to employment practices that are good for their businesses and their employees.

Associated Black Charities, Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, Civic Works and the Job Opportunities Task Force have partnered with the Baltimore Workforce Funders Collaborative to implement key grant activities.

“This grant will allow us to address fundamental issues of inequity and economic immobility in Baltimore,” said Linda Dworak, Director of the Baltimore Workforce Funders Collaborative. “Our members and core partners are committed to connecting Baltimore area jobseekers and workers to good jobs and to build prosperous communities by testing innovative approaches to workforce development, engaging business and community leaders and spreading successful models and programs.”