A new eighteen-month grant from Walmart will support programs to address racial inequities in the utilities, IT, and finance sectors

 Washington, D.C. (June 24, 2020) – The National Fund for Workforce Solutions is awarding a total of $100,000 to two communities – Cleveland and Philadelphia – to support innovative programs that address racial inequities in the service sector and could lead to larger systemic changes with greater impact. COVID-19 has shown that workers across the service sector are not only essential, but are also the lowest paid, least protected, and most vulnerable, with women and people of color disproportionally represented in the lowest rungs.

The eighteen-month investment, made possible by Walmart, will support these two communities to design and implement new programs that have the potential for replication across the National Fund’s network of more than 30 communities.

“We need to disrupt the old ways of thinking and expand new opportunities to low-skill, low-wage workers of color in these industries,” said Michelle Wilson, who directs evaluation and learning at the National Fund and also oversees its innovation fund. “COVID-19 has exposed the need for innovative solutions to redesign a more equitable economy, and these programs set out to do just that.”

Cleveland, Ohio

The Fund for Our Economic Future will partner with a community-based outreach program to promote training for jobs in the service sector where people of color are currently underrepresented: information technology, utilities, and finance.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Job Opportunity Investment Network will support career pathways into the financial services sector and will include enhanced mentoring, coaching, and wrap-around services.

###

About National Fund for Workforce Solutions

The National Fund for Workforce Solutions invests in a dynamic national network of 30+ communities taking a demand-driven, evidence-based approach to workforce development. At the local level, the National Fund’s partner organizations contribute resources, test ideas, collect data, and improve public policies and business practices that help all workers succeed and employers have the talent they need to compete. Learn more at www.NationalFund.org.