At Britebound™, we’re committed to ensuring that all students have equitable access to career readiness and exploration opportunities. With over 65% of students feeling like they would have benefitted from more career exploration in middle or high school, it’s imperative to provide them, especially those from underserved backgrounds, with chances to learn about the potential career pathways that they can pursue.
That’s why we’re proud to announce our most recent crop of grantees this year. Each organization is working to provide teens from disadvantaged backgrounds with the tools needed to plan for a successful career and future. Our grantees focus on important factors such as high school internships, middle and high school apprenticeships, project-based learning, early college, social capital, and education and career pathways.
Keep reading to learn more about our 16 grantees.
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 their career journey. With our grant they will 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 strives to engage business leaders in modernizing education systems to drive equity and opportunity. They are planning on using their grant to develop a research initiative on how to certify organizations to teach durable skills and bring together state leaders to implement this into their school systems.
iCouldBe provides high school students with an online community of professional mentors who will guide them through school, career planning, and life. With this grant, the organization is planning to improve and scale its digital platform to support mentoring relationships, launch a youth advisory board, start a paid internship program, and start an alumni program to support mentees after they’ve completed the program.
Big Thought’s mission is to reduce the goal attainment gap between teens in marginalized communities and their peers by 10% by 2030. They plan on using their two year grant to fund its Learning Pathways Project, which works to help teens connect skills developed during out-of-school experiences to career and educational success.
CommunityShare collaborates with communities to create real-world learning experiences that build strong relationships and have a strong focus on social capital. They will use the funding from their three year grant to expand their learning platform, which connects young people to social capital and meaningful learning experiences.
International Rescue Committee (IRC)
IRC creates opportunities for refugees and immigrants to integrate and thrive in Georgia communities. They are planning to use their grant funds to launch the pilot program of the New American Student Startup Academy (NASSA) with the aims of helping refugee youth explore diverse career pathways, cultivate essential transferable skills, and access paid experiential learning and youth entrepreneurship opportunities.
ConnectEd partners with schools, districts, and community leaders to transform how students learn, schools teach, and communities engage. They have recently partnered with 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. With the funds from our grant, ConnectEd will 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 uses residential construction projects to provide youth with the skills, network, resources, and experience to lead the workforce after high school or college. Through a selective apprenticeship program, students from different local high schools 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. Funds from our grant will be used to hire capacity building staff and create a “Builder in Residence” program.
United Planet hopes to connect others and create a global community. This 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 of their comfort zone. Grant funding will be used to expand the immersive virtual internships relating to advocacy and global citizenship, as well as develop digital resources like the Global IQ app and Global Citizen Leader Booster platform for students to learn about the UN, diverse cultures, and gain the skills needed to become a 21st century leader.
Virtual Enterprises International
Since 1996, Virtual Enterprises International has transformed the lives of over 200,000 young people through authentic business experiences that prepare them for fulfilling, financially secure futures by partnering 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 school students, support curriculum enhancements, teacher support for SEL learning, expansion of industry partner and mentor network, and a stronger technology infrastructure.
The BRIC Foundation strives to change the way entertainment companies approach and discuss hiring around diversity. Through schools, governments, nonprofits, and industry partners, this organization works to create equitable pathways for diverse creators to share their stories and make an impact on the world. With the funds from our two year grant, the BRIC Foundation will scale and expand animation, gaming, and visual design pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships for middle and high school youth in Atlanta, Georgia and implement high school “earn and learn” programs led by professionals.
Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology
Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology delivers transformative technical and trade education that leads to economic advancement. With the funds from their two year grant, they will enhance and expand work-based learning opportunities for their early college curriculum in the Boston area and early college postsecondary pathways for automotive technology, computer information technology, engineering technology, and opticianry.
CAPS Network focuses on paving the education-to-employment path through profession-based learning. Programs that affiliate with the CAPS Network share best practices and connections with professional partners, post-secondary institutions, teachers, and students.
Junior Achievement of Greater Boston
Junior Achievements of Greater Boston is an organization with over 100 local areas across the nation and 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. They will use the funds from their three year grant to 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
Massachusetts Alliance for Early College is focused on college and career success equity for historically underrepresented students by providing real college classes and career success equity for historically underrepresented students, allowing students to graduate with college credit and reducing the cost and time to degree completion. The funding from our grant will go towards scaling access to high-quality early college programs to serve 45,000 students.
Get Schooled is America’s only all-digital, college and first job advisor whose 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 throughout their post-high school journey through higher ed and their early careers. They will use the funds from the grant to develop an AI-assisted first job interview tool for learners.
We’re beyond excited to partner and support these amazing organizations and continue to expand career education and readiness opportunities for those from underserved communities.
