This grant will enable the Youth Development Institute, a program of the Tides Center, to continue to develop a community-based career and technical education pathway into work and further education for students who have dropped out of school with low academic skill levels. The Youth Development Institute is a New York-based organization that partners with community-based organizations, schools, and colleges to create programs that help young people transition into adulthood. Youth Development Institute will create more efficient technical assistance strategies that are responsive to partnering program sites' needs, refine the educational curricula, and further develop the work-related components of the community-based career and technical education pathway model.

This grant will provide support to YouthBuild USA for the Opening Career Pathways project. In an effort to align education and sectoral workforce preparation strategies, YouthBuild has identified, strengthened, and disseminated effective career development strategies that provide students in its network with access to postsecondary education and economically viable career opportunities. Recommended support will enable YouthBuild to advance its education and sectoral workforce efforts by working with and deepening partnerships in the construction and healthcare industry sectors, mapping opportunities and potential career ladders in two additional industry sectors, and developing a cadre of sector leaders within the network.

This grant will provide partial support to the Youth Transition Funders Group, a project of the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region. This network of grantmakers was formed in 2001 to focus specifically on working to improve the transition of youth into adulthood as productive members of society. The group provides a forum for foundations to network and develop complementary grantmaking strategies to create opportunities for youth in transition. Key activities in 2011 will include supporting funder collaborations, expanding the network's strategic framework across the philanthropic sector, increasing field collaborations, and raising awareness on cross-cutting issues.