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BOSTON - Thursday, May 11, 2023 - Mayor
Michelle Wu and the Mayor’s Office of
Workforce Development (OWD) today announced the allocation of $3.4 million of Neighborhood Jobs
Trust (NJT) funding to 26
community-based organizations across Boston’s neighborhoods. This marks the
largest one-time grantmaking
round in the Trust’s history and will serve approximately 1,500 Boston
residents while allowing
grantees to leverage $10.6 million in additional funding. The recipients were celebrated at More Than Words bookstore in the South
End, an NJT grantee. Funding from the NJT supports local organizations
that provide low to moderate income residents with job training and support
services, enabling them to obtain higher paying jobs in diverse fields including human services, technology,
hospitality, and healthcare.
“The Neighborhood Jobs Trust is a critical
tool in our work to connect our residents to crucial job training and
support services and ensure Boston is a city for everyone,” said Mayor
Michelle Wu. “I’m thrilled to support these critical community
organizations that invest in our city’s workforce and people and look
forward to their work in strengthening our communities and economy.”
“The Neighborhood Jobs Trust funding will
help provide residents the opportunity for training and a pathway to a
meaningful career,” said Council President Ed Flynn.
“Many of the community-based organizations that are funded are neighborhood
anchors that provide important language training, digital literacy,
workforce development, and youth programs that are essential to our
immigrant and at-risk families."
“As a trustee of the Neighborhood’s Job
Trust and the Boston City Council Chair of the Labor, Workforce &
Economic Development committee, our office is invested in creating
workforce opportunities for our residents while strengthening our economy,”
said Councilor Julia Mejia. “I am pleased that, through this
funding process, we were able to apply an equity lens in the selection of
our recipients. This funding cycle gets us closer to addressing the wealth
gap by uplifting community-based organizations that are seeking ways to
support some of our most vulnerable communities, such as English for New Bostonians
and Breaktime. I am also excited to see work focused around closing the
digital equity gap and helping Boston residents strive in the 21st century
through the work of Tech Goes Home.”
The Neighborhood Jobs Trust is a public
charitable trust replenished by linkage fees from developers of large-scale
commercial projects in Boston. Since its inception, the NJT has received over $55 million in
Linkage funds to support Boston’s education and workforce development
efforts, with $2.8 million disbursed in fiscal year 2022. Changes to the linkage policy were
approved in March of 2023. The changes include lowering the threshold and
exemption from 100,000 square feet to 50,000 square feet, increasing the
total linkage fee for lab uses over two years to $30.78 per square foot for
lab space and to $23.09 for other commercial uses, up from $15.39. Sixteen
percent of the fees will support job training and job preparedness
programs, while the remaining 84 percent will support the creation and
preservation of affordable housing. The increase in the fees will be phased
in over two years beginning in January 2024.
"I am excited about the City's
increased investment in the innovative programs our community based
organizations provide," said Chief of Worker Empowerment Trinh
Nguyen. "These programs enrich Boston's talent pool by connecting
residents to job and skills training and support services that will enable
them to obtain high paying jobs in high growth industries and growing
markets."
“In 2022, the BPDA Board approved new
development projected to generate approximately $7.5 million in linkage
fees to support job training,” said City of Boston Chief of
Planning Arthur Jemison. "We're proud to continue to support the
Neighborhood Jobs Trust through the work we do at the Boston Planning &
Development Agency. I am hopeful that there will be even more funding to go
towards high-paying, quality jobs for Bostonians, in the years to come.”
The Neighborhood Jobs Trust award
recipients were selected through a public Request for Proposals (RFP)
process released by the Office of Workforce Development in October 2022.
This year’s grantees will provide programs that focus on careers in high
growth industries and growing markets including clean energy and
technology. Additionally, the programs are designed to serve individuals
with barriers to employment and incorporate supportive wrap-around
services.
“Mothers for Justice and Equality (MJE) is
proud to partner with Mayor Wu's Office of Workforce Development on
creating jobs for individuals who are dealing with chronic unemployment as
a result of generational traumatic experiences,” said Monalisa
Smith, Founder, President, and CEO of Mothers for Justice and Equality.
“The support MJE was given from the Neighborhood Job Trust will allow us to
triple the number of women served. Thank you, Mayor Wu for sharing our
vision for quality human services to people of color living in underserved
communities with high rates of mental health, incarceration and
unemployment. Together, I believe we will make all the difference.”
"English for New Bostonians is
thankful for NJT support -- this is a win for Boston's immigrant
communities and a win for the city's economic prosperity,” said Claudia
Green, Executive Director for English for New Bostonians. “With today's
tight labor market, there's not a moment to waste. Funds will support
online and in-person English classes, career coaching, job skills training,
and connections with employers and entrepreneurship opportunities that
promote immigrants' economic mobility."
"Access to high-quality digital
devices, reliable internet service, and relevant digital skills training
are all critical to helping Boston residents find and keep good jobs,”
said Dan Noyes, CEO of Tech Goes Home. “This funding from the
Neighborhood Jobs Trust will make it possible for more than 100 new
learners to participate in Tech Goes Home's proven, workforce-focused
programming, where they will gain critical tools and knowledge that will
expand opportunity for them, their families, and our communities. We are
grateful to the City of Boston and the Office of Workforce Development for
their support and partnership in our ongoing work to advance digital
equity."
To view the full list of Fiscal Year 2023
NJT grant recipients, visit boston.gov/neighborhood-jobs-trust.
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