Summer 2024

40 YEARS OF IMPACT & GROWTH

STRIVE graduates its first cohort in Brooklyn, July 2024.

We are celebrating 40 years of impact in 2024 as we expand to new locations and welcome significant new sources of funding to support our continued growth, progressing toward our goal of serving 10,000 people each year by 2033 with the training and support needed to build a life-sustaining career. As we move into our next decade of growth and impact, we are proud of the success we have built with our partners, funders, staff, and most importantly, our students: 80% graduate, 76% attain employment, and 70% retain it.

With the recent backlash against DEI initiatives, and the continued fight for social justice, the need to bridge the opportunity gap for those who continue to be systemically disconnected from opportunity remains urgent. Individuals who are justice-impacted, a disproportionate percentage of whom are Black men and other people of color, face the steepest obstacles to employment and mobility. STRIVE provides, at no cost to our students, employer-informed sectoral job training with clearly defined career pathways for individuals who are determined to succeed, and we are proud to continue this work as part of our mission.

 Leading National Research Firm MDRC Highlights STRIVE's Evidence-Based Programs

We are grateful and honored to be a featured partner in MDRC's recently released 50th anniversary video, “Skills Are King: The Story of Sectoral Training Programs, and Why They Work."

 “We’re delighted to partner with STRIVE, along with other leading workforce organizations, to demonstrate the power of the evidence-based, sectoral and employer-driven approach to providing opportunities to motivated students and graduates, while helping to fuel local economies," says John Martinez, Vice President for Evidence to Practice, MDRC. "Sector programming like STRIVE offers is a proven model that sets the standard for the workforce of the future.”  

Over the course of our 40 years of growth and evolution, we are proud to have developed a nationally recognized, five-pillar model of career readiness training, occupational skills training, career coaching, job placement assistance, and lifetime support for graduates, all rooted in a sectoral model philosophy that focuses on strong employer and community partnerships. We connect people to high-quality jobs in growing industries with plenty of opportunity for advancement.

Building in Brooklyn

Last month we graduated our pilot cohort in Brooklyn with a tailored program for justice-impacted residents seeking on-ramps to careers with growth opportunities within the local healthcare system.

We are grateful to our partners in Brooklyn who believe in the power of our programs to help bridge the opportunity gap and support local economic development and mobility, including Downstate Health Sciences University, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn Communities Collaborative, and Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation. 

STRIVE Brooklyn graduate receives his certificate from STRIVE New York Retention Supervisor and fellow alumni Maxine Gillies.

Our Brooklyn expansion is fueled by generous support from the Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation's Social Justice Fund, led by philanthropists and owners of the Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty, Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai.

Congratulations to STRIVE New York Executive Director Ayesha George on her appointment to the board of directors at NYC Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC).

STRIVE Receives Four-Year Investment from Leading Private Equity Firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R)

We are proud to be among five New York-based nonprofits selected to be CD&R’s Talent Solution Partners (TSP), supporting the Foundation’s work to advance equity through opportunity for untapped talent.  

Funding from CD&R, a strong supporter of STRIVE's proven workforce development model, will support our Fresh Start reentry program and bolster our Brooklyn expansion with new healthcare career trainings and employer partnerships. 

CD&R Foundation President Randy Moore (left) with STRIVE President & CEO Phil Weinberg and STRIVE board member Tony Steadman at the 2022 STRIVE gala. 

"The CD&R Foundation is pleased to support STRIVE’s important work to provide New York City talent facing systemic barriers with the skills and resources necessary to attain economic opportunity and advancement,” says Randy Moore, CD&R Foundation President. “STRIVE’s mission is aligned with CD&R’s commitment to enabling ‘Equity through Opportunity’ which supports business growth by attracting and developing talent from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and capabilities."

The funding from CD&R comes in addition to $15 million from other iconic global philanthropies in the past year, including MacKenzie Scott, Ballmer Group, The Justice and Mobility Fund of Blue Meridian Partners and Truist Foundation, as well as Gotham Gives in New York City, Bank of America in Atlanta and the Regions Foundation in Birmingham. 

STRIVE Atlanta’s Financial Opportunity Center Thrives

STRIVE Atlanta's Financial Empowerment Coach Michelle Alexander with students.

STRIVE Atlanta’s Financial Opportunity Center (FOC) equips students looking to develop their financial capability with workshops on budgeting, saving, debt reduction, and credit education as part of the Career Path and Future Leaders curriculums. Students also receive one-on-one financial counseling. We are grateful for continued support from our funding partners in Atlanta including Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), JPMorgan Chase, Delta Community Credit Union and Bank of America. 

STRIVE Atlanta is Coming to East Point

After a successful pilot launch in Clayton County, in partnership with Aerotropolis and the City of East Point, STRIVE Atlanta is proud to launch a cohort training in certified logistics and office operations for residents of East Point this September.

Visit us online or connect with STRIVE Atlanta Executive Director Jomal Vailes to learn more, get involved or support.

Breaking Records in Birmingham

STRIVE Birmingham graduates its largest cohort to-date in July 2024.

It's been nearly one year since we saw our pilot cohort in the Magic City graduate, and we are proud of the continued growth and expansion of our programs as we aim to serve the people of Birmingham with true access to economic mobility. The City of Birmingham's Office of Innovation and Economic Development has made the largest local investment thus far with an award of $1.2 million to support our Healthcare & Office Operations career pathway programs. 

We are grateful to all our local partners who have made this such a phenomenal first year.  Along with the City of Birmingham, we would like to acknowledge the Alabama Power Foundation, Altec Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield/Caring Foundation, Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, Daniel Foundation, Mike and Gillian Goodrich Foundation, the Overton Project, Protective Foundation, the Regions Foundation, Truist Foundation and Woodlawn United.

Fresh Start Reentry Program Coming to Birmingham 

As we continue to grow our reach and impact in the Magic City, we are excited to announce the addition of our Fresh Start reentry program to be launched early 2025. Stay tuned for more details and visit us on line or connect with STRIVE Birmingham Executive Director Quiwintre Frye to learn more, partner or support Fresh Start in Birmingham.

Ready to Work and Determined to Succeed

The STRIVE New Orleans pilot cohort in their last days of training at Delgado Community College.