Foundation offers jobs development grants
Program targets nonprofit workforce projects in the county
WHITPAIN » The pandemic has resulted in some challenging times for nonprofits, but the Montgomery County Foundation has been doing its part to create the potential for brighter outcomes for many organizations.
Through the generosity of a private donor, the Blue
Bell-based Montgomery County Foundation is now heading up a new Workforce Development Fund that will provide grants to nonprofit agencies in Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties.
“This is a pilot project, specifically for this area. We have a donor who was interested in providing funding for this area,” noted President Virginia Frantz.
“Since it is a pilot program we wanted to make sure that we would make a difference in seeing what needs to be funded. It’s a very important field right now especially, getting people back to work.”
In reviewing the applications (available at mcfoundationinc.org), the Foundation staff is looking for a summary of the description of the nonprofit’s programs,
outcomes that are clear and concise, and a workforce development budget.
According to the official statement, funding will be available to nonprofit organizations for “transformative efforts to improve business through workforce development. Projects should demonstrate collaboration, best practices, and active engagement with local em
ployers.”
“Basically, we want to know if there are wraparound services in their best practices, if the program has connections with the business community,” Frantz said. “A wraparound service might be that you’re training somebody for a job but they don’t have a car to get anywhere, so who are you working with to get services they might need? It’s OK to train someone, but you need to help with other aspects of life that impact on a job or a career.”
Deadline for submissions is 4 p.m. on Jan. 20.
Scoring by the staff will evaluate the overall quality of the program, Frantz noted.
“Certainly there are a lot of programs in the area and we don’t want to duplicate services, so we really want to look at what’s out there. Because this is a pilot we’re willing to look at it in a broader way to make sure we don’t miss something in a program that isn’t the same as other programs. There’s been interest but so far no
applications have come in, so I don’t know what to expect at this point.”
Donations are still being accepted for the MontCoPA COVID-19 Response Fund, managed by The Montgomery County Foundation Inc., which so far has awarded more than $900,000 to a variety of nonprofit organizations serving every area of the county. Grantees included food pantries, senior care programs, rent and utility payment programs for low-income residents, behavioral healthcare and
telehealth services, ambulance services, childcare for healthcare workers, domestic violence services, protective personal equipment purchase for nonprofits continuing essential in-person services, public benefits navigator support, and emergency shelters among others.
“We actually have two COVID funds, the Your Way Home COVID Fund and the MontcoPa COVID Relief Fund,” Frantz noted. “It’s been very rewarding to be part of that. And we’re still raising money for recov
ery because I think it’s going to be a long process. It just shows what a wonderful place we live in that all these private foundations and corporations felt compelled to give to keep the nonprofits solvent.”
Donations of any size may be made online, by check or by wire. Checks should be made payable to Montgomery County Foundation, Inc., MontCoPA COVID-19 Response Fund, and mailed to 4 Sentry Parkway, #302, Blue Bell, PA 19422. The Foundation’s EIN is 23-3070457.