This funding opportunity is focused on advancing economic mobility and wealth creation for communities of color and low-income communities across California. The grant seeks to ensure that all Californians have access to good-paying jobs, the ability to build businesses if they choose, and attain financial security. The funder aims to invest in systemic approaches that enhance workforce development and foster entrepreneurship specifically for communities facing historical and structural barriers to economic success.
The funding will prioritize comprehensive workforce development initiatives that directly serve system-impacted communities, particularly formerly incarcerated men and women. To qualify, workforce development programs must provide placement into living-wage jobs that offer strong benefits and opportunities for career advancement. In addition to job placement, programs must also include job retention services and case-managed wraparound support services to comprehensively support individuals through their employment journey.
The grant will also support efforts aimed at strengthening small businesses. These efforts must involve culturally-effective business advising services and improving access to trustworthy capital for small business owners who are persons of color, immigrants and refugees, or individuals from low-income backgrounds. Such support is intended to remove barriers and foster a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem.
In the realm of public policy, the funding opportunity is open to initiatives that either advance the comprehensive workforce development approaches described or strengthen supports for small businesses. However, there are clear restrictions on what the grant will not fund. Workforce development efforts that focus on populations other than formerly incarcerated adults or that primarily emphasize resume writing, interview skills training, placement into low-wage jobs, or training without significant placement or support services are excluded. Also, grants will not support an individual organization's efforts to grow or build its own workforce or enterprise, including social enterprises.
Specific details about submission requirements, deadlines, evaluation criteria, or contact information were not included in the provided text. Further verification would be needed to obtain application timelines, procedural steps, and any available Q&A opportunities.
