Providence, RI - Genesis Center announced today that it has received a $49,000 strategy grant from the Rhode Island Foundation to support programming that prepares low-income Rhode Islanders for success in the workforce.
"This generous grant will expand education and training services that provide a 'bridge' to help unemployed and underemployed Rhode Islanders overcome the skills gap. Participants in our adult education and job training programs will now have access to a program designed to help them progress toward their goal of finding a better job in a career pathway,” said Shannon Carroll, president and CEO.
"Our Bridge class provides resources and guidance to adults who are working to achieve economic independence. This grant helps us to broaden the services available to learners and allows Genesis Center to be the place ‘where the will to achieve meets the skill to succeed,’" she said.
The 3-part strategy project will expand the center's existing basic education program, which is a hybrid in-person and online system for adults working to improve their education.
Participants will have access to a qualified instructor as well as online learning tools and industry-recognized certificates. It will also expand contextualized basic education opportunities for participants in the center’s job training programs to build critical thinking skills and develop the math and literacy necessary for success in employment and continued education. The initiative includes goals for sharing the center’s learning with other adult education and workforce development service providers.
The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. In 2015, the Foundation awarded $41.5 million in grants to organizations addressing the state's most pressing issues and needs of diverse communities.
"Every grant we make underscores our commitment to moving Rhode Island forward. We work closely with our donors and grantees to ensure there are the resources and the resourcefulness to achieve great impact," said Neil Steinberg, the Foundation's president and CEO.
Genesis Center, founded 34 years ago in Providence's West End, is a multi-service organization offering high-quality adult education, job training, support services and early learning for low-income Rhode Islanders who want to make a better life for themselves and their families. Today, it serves more than 800 adults and children every year from more than 35 countries. For more information, visit www.gencenter.org.