American Student Assistance Announces More Than $6 Million in Grants to Increase Access to Career Readiness Opportunities for Youth from Underserved Communities

BOSTON, March 25, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- American Student Assistance® (ASA), a national nonprofit changing the way kids learn about careers and prepare for their futures, today announced that it has awarded more than $6 million in grants to 16 mission-aligned nonprofit youth-serving organizations from across 15 states. The grantees' initiatives are focused on improving career readiness outcomes for middle and high schoolers from under-resourced communities.

Evidence shows that today's youth do not feel adequately prepared to make informed, confident decisions about what they want to do after high school. In fact, more than 65 percent of students feel they would have benefited from more career exploration in middle or high school.

"We are honored to partner with this outstanding group of youth-serving organizations that enable young people from all backgrounds to explore their own career interests and strengths, test and try, and possibly eliminate potential careers, so they can more deliberately navigate a postsecondary path to success based on what they have experienced," said Julie Lammers, SVP of Advocacy and Corporate Social Responsibility, ASA.

Key areas of focus for the grantees include high school internships, middle school apprenticeships, project-based learning, early college, social capital building, and education and career pathways. Grantees include the following:

GPS Education is a work-based learning solutions provider and advocate, representing students, businesses, and communities, focusing on access and equity for all learners to succeed in careers of the future. The organization will leverage its three-year $900,000 grant to launch a regional Career Readiness and Work-based Learning ecosystem that engages a collection of high schools, colleges, and communities to expand existing programming.

America Succeeds, whose mission is to engage business leaders in modernizing education systems to drive equity and opportunity, has been awarded a two-year $750,000 grant. The organization's portfolio of work bridges and connects business and the education policy sector, with advocacy efforts aimed at larger culture change. The grant will support the development of a research initiative on how to certify organizations to teach durable skills and bring together state leaders to implement this framework into their school systems.

iCouldBe, which provides high school students with an online community of professional mentors, empowering teens to thrive in school, plan for future careers, and achieve in life, has been awarded a three-year $660,000 grant. The funding will be used to improve and scale its digital platform which supports mentoring relationships that focus on building student social capital skills and networks of support for each student. The grant will fund the launch of a youth advisory board, paid internship program, and an alumni program to support mentees post-program.

Big Thought envisions a world in which young people in marginalized communities have the same opportunities and experiences as their peers. The organization is working to narrow opportunity gaps by 10 percent by 2030 and will use its two-year $500,000 grant to fund its Learning Pathways strategy. This strategy ensures youth-centered skills-building that is defined and measured through a digital badging credentials system.

CommunityShare, a nonprofit organization that weaves learning ecosystems to activate student engagement, career readiness, and belonging through community-engaged, real-world learning experiences, has been awarded a three-year $500,000 grant. They will use the funding to expand their capacity-building support of educators, regional organizations, and digital learning platform, which connects educators and young people to the regional wisdom, skills, and expertise of community partners to expand social capital and co-create transformative learning experiences.

International Rescue Committee (IRC), in Atlanta, whose mission is to create opportunities for refugees and immigrants to integrate and thrive in Georgia communities, has been awarded a three-year $500,000 grant. The funding will be used to launch the New American Student Startup Academy (NASSA), a pilot project designed to help refugee youth explore diverse career pathways, cultivate essential transferable skills, and access paid experiential learning and youth entrepreneurship opportunities. High school students will move through three phases, including career exploration, career launch, and youth entrepreneurship launch.

ConnectED, which partners with schools, districts and community leaders to transform how students learn, schools teach, and communities engage, has been awarded a two-year $400,000 grant. They have recently created a partnership between two postsecondary institutions and five local school districts to create a career pathway into green jobs for youth living within the eastern region of the Navajo Nation. Funding will be used to expand the work of the New Mexico Four Corners College and Career Pathways Partnership; design an energy pathway to be approved by the Department of Education; increase work-based learning opportunities in the region; and help young people enroll in dual credit programs and/or get employed in high wage careers.

unCommon Construction, which uses residential construction projects to empower youth with the skills, network, resources, and experience to lead the workforce after high school or college, has been awarded a two-year $400,000 grant. Through a selective apprenticeship program, students from different high schools across the area apply to join a diverse team to earn above minimum wage hourly pay and school internship credit while building a house from the ground up. Funding will be used to hire capacity building staff and create a "Builder in Residence" train the trainer program for leaders.

United Planet is on a mission to create a global community, one relationship at a time. The organization connects volunteers who want to make a difference with communities in more than 30 countries, where they learn, teach, work, engage, and immerse themselves in a culture outside their comfort zone. The organization has been awarded a two-year $400,000 grant, which will fund the expansion of immersive virtual global citizen leadership skill-building internships to empower youth for success in a global economy and interconnected world. The grant will help enable the development of global competency, 21st century active citizen leadership, and advocacy for sustainable development education. 

Virtual Enterprises International has been awarded a two-year $400,000 grant. Since 1996, the organization has transformed the lives of more than 200,000 young people through authentic business experiences that prepare them for fulfilling, financially secure futures. The organization partners with schools and districts to create educational pathways that align career education and work-based learning with academic standards-based education. With the funding, the organization will expand the Virtual Enterprises Junior Ventures Career Academy (VE-JV) program to create entrepreneurial and work-based learning experiences for middle-grade students. In addition, funding will support curriculum enhancements, teacher support for SEL learning, expansion of industry partner and mentor networks, and a stronger technology infrastructure.

BRIC Foundation has been awarded a two-year $375,000 grant. The organization aims to change the way entertainment companies approach and discuss hiring around diversity. Utilizing schools, governments, nonprofits, and industry partners to create equitable pathways for diverse creators to tell their stories and make an impact on the world.  With the funding, the organization will scale and expand animation, gaming, and visual design pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships for middle and high school youth. In addition, the grant will fund the implementation of high school "earn & learn" programs led by professionals.

Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology delivers transformative technical and trade education that leads to economic advancement, and the organization has been awarded a two-year $300,000 grant. The funding will support the enhancement and expansion of their Early College postsecondary pathways in Boston with focuses on: Automotive Technology, Computer Information Technology, Engineering Technology, and Opticianry fields.

CAPS Network has been awarded a two-year $238,000 grant. The organization is focused on paving the education-to-employment path through profession-based learning. CAPS Network works to expand access to career-connected learning by connecting students to professional partners and solving real-world business problems. With the funding, CAPS Network will expand industry and employer awareness, understanding, and implementation of profession-based learning experiences for young people.

Junior Achievements of Greater Boston has been awarded a three-year $300,000 grant. This organization provides services to nine communities in Greater Boston, and it is dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their futures, and make smart academic and economic choices. The funding will support JA's program offerings, such as JAInspire, 3DE, high school programs, and JA Pathway for Alumni, in a cohesive middle school to career strategy.

Massachusetts Alliance for Early College has been awarded a two-year $225,000 grant. The organization is focused explicitly on college and career success equity for historically underrepresented students by supporting the growth of and creating conditions for high-quality, high-impact Early College programs across Massachusetts. This enables students to graduate with college credit, reducing the cost and time to degree completion. The funding will support scaling access to high-quality Early College programs to serve 45,000 students.

Get Schooled, America's only all-digital, college and first job advisor, has been awarded a one-year $165,000 grant. The organization's mission is to provide youth-friendly, culturally-relevant, research-based, engaging educational content and 1:1 personalized support to primarily Black, Brown, low-income, and first-gen-to-college youth along their journey after high school, into higher-ed and finding and succeeding in their first jobs and early careers. The organization will use the funding to develop an AI-assisted First Job Interview Tool for kids.

"As CEO of GPS Education Partners, I am honored to collaborate with American Student Assistance and our fellow grantees in empowering underserved youth to explore their career interests and strengths. With our $900,000 grant, we are committed to expanding our efforts in creating a dynamic Career Readiness and Work-based Learning ecosystem. Together, we are forging pathways to success for all learners, ensuring equitable access to opportunities that prepare them to thrive in the careers of tomorrow," said Stephanie Reisner.

"We are very grateful for ASA's generous support and partnership to expand opportunities for learners to develop and demonstrate Durable Skills that will create pathways to economic mobility," said Tim Taylor, Co-Founder and President of America Succeeds. "As a growing number of states and systems look to embed Durable Skills across learner pathways, it will become increasingly important to help school leaders and educators identify the best-in-class, evidence-based solutions matched to their unique needs and community's goals."

"We believe young people are born with greatness, and one of the ways for them to have the space for it to breathe is to build all those skills that we know are going to be necessary for thriving in a 21st century world. For years, the out-of-school time, non-traditional learning space has been seen as valuable for safe spaces, additional time on task, and academic enrichment. But now, through the Learning Pathways Strategy, it can be a dynamic ignition for young people's economic empowerment and world-shaping opportunities," said Byron Sanders, President and CEO, Big Thought. 

 "With generous support and partnership from ASA, CommunityShare is transforming our communities into regional learning ecosystems by activating real-world learning experiences for thousands of students. Through these experiences, students and educators expand their social capital – the community connections that fuel opportunity – by connecting with a human library of community partners who bring wisdom, skills, and lived experiences to learning. These connections create powerful opportunities for students to develop transferable skills and agency, discover career and college pathways, and imagine future possibilities. This partnership with ASA allows us to level the playing field and ensure thousands of young people have the opportunities, connections, and support they need to realize their full potential," said Josh Schachter, Founder and Executive Director, CommunityShare.

"We are grateful for the support from American Student Assistance to expand our work beyond California. As pioneers of the first federally- and state-registered apprenticeship program for animation, visual effects, and gaming, we look forward to applying our pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship models to improve more states' K-12-to-industry employment pipelines and provide more entertainment, media, and tech employers with access to highly skilled, diverse talent," said Nicole Hendrix, Executive Director, BRIC Foundation.

"The most successful post-secondary pathways to a fulfilling career that results in economic security and advancement begin in middle and high school," said Dr. Aisha Francis, President and CEO of Franklin Cummings Tech. "We are grateful to American Student Assistance for this generous grant that will strengthen our Early College program, which provides Boston area high school students with early career exposure, college readiness, and initial training in thriving tech fields."

"Our strategic partnership with American Student Assistance is accelerating the potential for more educators to go where students lead. We are incredibly excited to work together to generate a first-of-its-kind campaign to activate industry partners to engage high school students as consultants, positioning them to generate return-on-investment while developing critical durable skills. We are grateful to ASA for always amplifying our work and believing in the movement to tip the K-12 system to one that provides each and every student a self-discovery journey through authentic work that breaks away from the traditional classroom," said Corey Mohn, President and Executive Director, CAPS Network.

"We're so grateful to be partnered with American Student Assistance in our effort to scale high-quality Early College opportunities, and to support students to feel empowered as leaders in the movement to bring these life-changing programs to thousands of their peers across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts," said Erika Giampietro, Executive Director, Massachusetts Alliance for Early College.

"We are incredibly grateful for the support of ASA to prepare American youth through virtual internships and trainings for success within a global economy, interconnected world, and the multicultural communities in which they live. By developing American youth as global citizen leaders, we will open up a world of opportunity for them and prepare them as leaders within their own communities and beyond," said Dave Santulli Founder and CEO, United Planet.

"We believe in the Boundless Possibility® of young people. By creating middle school to career pathways for our youth, we empower them to own their own success while preparing our future workforce for the careers of today and tomorrow," said Radhames Nova, President and CEO, Junior Achievements of Greater Boston.

"Virtual Enterprises International not only offers students the unique opportunity to acquire business skills through hands-on experience in the classroom, but also empowers them to explore diverse career paths. We are truly grateful to American Student Assistance for their invaluable support in enabling VE students to continually test and navigate various career options," said Tom Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer, Virtual Enterprises International, Inc.

"Get Schooled is thrilled about ASA's investment in our AI-powered Interview Coach. AI can be a transformational tool for early career skill-building, and Get Schooled is grateful and excited to bring this tool to life for the benefit of young people across the country," said John Branam, Executive Director, Get Schooled.

About American Student Assistance® (ASA)

American Student Assistance® (ASA) is a national nonprofit changing the way kids learn about careers and prepare for their futures through equitable access to career readiness information and experiences. ASA helps middle and high school students to know themselves—their strengths and their interests—and understand their education and career options so that they can make informed decisions. ASA fulfills its mission – in schools and beyond the classroom—by providing free digital experiences, including Futurescape®, Next Voice™, and EvolveMe®, directly to millions of students, and through advocacy, impact investing, thought leadership, and philanthropic support for educators, intermediaries, and others. ASA fosters a generation of confident, crisis-proof young people who are ready for whatever path comes next after high school. To learn more about ASA, visit www.asa.org/about-asa.

Contact: Sandy Dawkins-Reilly [email protected]

SOURCE American Student Assistance (ASA)