January 06, 2014, Washington, DC — The Bank of America Charitable Foundation has named Urban Alliance a recipient of its 2013 Neighborhood Builders® program to support workforce development for youth from under-resourced communities.
The Neighborhood Builders program is a strategic investment that couples leadership training with a $200,000 unrestricted grant for high-performing nonprofits that have made a significant impact addressing needs related to community development, critical needs or workforce development and education.
Urban Alliance has provided professional, paid internships to more than 1,200 youth during its 17-year history. The Neighborhood Builders grant will help accelerate the growth of Urban Alliance’s High School Internship Program, giving students the opportunity to gain work experience while being trained and mentored. In addition, the Neighborhood Builders leadership training will enable the continued strategic professional growth of Urban Alliance’s new Associate Executive Director of the National Capital Region, Nathaniel Cole.
“The leadership training opportunity through Bank of America will provide me with resources for my professional development and tools to effectively carry out the mission of Urban Alliance. I remember how Bank of America’s Student Leaders program impacted my professional trajectory in high school, so I am looking forward to how the Neighborhood Builders training will enhance the next stage of my professional career,” said Cole, an Urban Alliance Alumni, Bank of America Student Leader Alumni, and recently promoted Urban Alliance Associate Executive Director.
Urban Alliance has demonstrated its impact and attains strong results annually, including a 100 percent high school graduation rate for its students, and more than 90 percent post-secondary rate of acceptance. This success can be attributed to Urban Alliance’s innovative approach that combines four programmatic elements – professional, paid internships; mentoring from an adult professional; case management from a dedicated staff member; and trainings focused on college and career skills.
“We’re proud to partner with Urban Alliance in its efforts to help disadvantaged youth secure and maintain jobs through internships, workplace training and mentorships,” said Jeff Wood, Greater Washington market president, Bank of America. “This support will help Urban Alliance provide the essential training for our city’s youth, helping place them on a pathway to financial stability and long-term success.”
The Neighborhood Builders program goes beyond supporting just Urban Alliance and its program participants. As a member of the youthCONNECT network through Venture Philanthropy Partners (VPP), Urban Alliance works alongside five exemplary DC nonprofits in an integrated approach to serve more than 20,000 youth in the region. The financial impact of Bank of America’s grant to Urban Alliance is doubled due to a matching grant from VPP and the potential to serve more students annually.