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EmployIndy today announced it has been awarded a $1.5 million grant by the Pathways Impact Fund, a national initiative of StriveTogether, to expand access to the most in-demand career and learning experiences for Central Indiana’s high school students.

“EmployIndy has supported the development of strong pathways programs and deep career-connected learning partnerships in Marion County over the past eight years,” said Ken Clark, president and CEO of EmployIndy. “With Indiana’s new diploma requirements and readiness seals, every district now needs the infrastructure, employer connections, and advising capacity to ensure students can graduate with a clear plan. This investment allows us to expand what’s already working, scaling high-quality advising, career-connected learning, and accelerated coursework to reach thousands more students across Central Indiana. It’s about strengthening and extending a proven model as a regional system so that every student, regardless of where they attend school, can access pathways that lead to real economic opportunity.”

Founded over 40 years ago, EmployIndy has evolved into the region’s leading workforce and pathways intermediary—connecting employers with talent, guiding residents toward meaningful careers, and aligning education and industry partners around a stronger, more accessible economy. As the workforce development board for Indianapolis, EmployIndy plays a critical role in coordinating the county’s complex education landscape of 11 public school districts, numerous charter schools, and 25,000+ employers to provide young people with career-connected learning experiences.

This support comes as Indiana implements new graduation seals that require students to complete rigorous, career-focused coursework and demonstrate readiness for college, career, and civic participation. EmployIndy and its partners, including Central Indiana Education Services Center (CIESC), will help districts adhere to these new requirements by adopting seal-aligned pathway plans that embed work-based learning, structured advising cycles, and credential-bearing coursework. The initiative will also work to increase student access to dual credit courses in high-demand sectors, allowing students to earn both high school and college credit while building skills employers value.

“EmployIndy understands that building effective pathways isn’t just about individual programs—it’s about creating the regional systems and partnerships that allow those programs to reach every student,” said John Garcia III, executive director of the Pathways Impact Fund. “Their work transforming Central Indiana from strong local efforts into a coherent regional system exemplifies the kind of systems-level coordination we would like to see nationwide.”

Today’s EmployIndy award is part of the Pathways Impact Fund’s $7.5 million commitment to regional intermediaries working to scale high-quality pathways across five states. Backed by several of the nation’s largest philanthropies, the Fund’s strategy focuses on ensuring more young people access high-quality advising, accelerated coursework, and career-connected learning that lead to purposeful pathways and economic mobility.

EmployIndy and Public Allies Indianapolis support Foundation’s mission of creating pathways to opportunity

(Indianapolis, Ind.) EmployIndy and Public Allies Indianapolis announced today that they each have received Opportunity for All grant awards from The Starbucks Foundation.

The Opportunity for All initiative builds on The Starbucks Foundation’s long history of investing in organizations that create job and education opportunities. The Opportunity for All initiative deepens the foundation’s focus on three populations – youth, veterans and military spouses, and refugees.

This year, the foundation is making $1.41 million in Opportunity for All grants to 41 nonprofits in 27 U.S. cities, ranging from $10,000 to $100,000. Additionally, Starbucks partners (employees) will engage and volunteer to help those receiving each organization’s services become job-ready and develop skills to continue on the pathway of opportunity. To learn more about the initiative, please visit: https://news.starbucks.com/

“We are proud to extend our partnerships with EmployIndy and Public Allies Indianapolis to support their ongoing efforts to create long-term economic opportunities for youth through job readiness, training and additional educational programs,” said DeShonne Jackson, regional director for Starbucks operations in Indiana. “This work forms a key part of our strategy to invest in organizations that are implementing proven, as well as innovative, solutions to help youth get the skills and training they need to succeed in a rapidly changing global economy. Our Starbucks partners (employees) in Indianapolis look forward to working with EmployIndy and Public Allies Indianapolis to serve even more young people in the community.”

The Starbucks Foundation awarded EmployIndy with $40,000 to fund a variety of youth services. EmployIndy will catalyze a re-engagement center that holistically integrates best practices and promising approaches for serving youth and young adults, ages 16-24, who are disconnected from either education or employment due to significant barriers that preclude labor force participation. This integration is based off of seven key elements: engagement, empowerment, exposure, explore experience, education, employment. The E^7 Essentials Center will operate in and around the 46235 high-priority zip code in Indianapolis at Community Alliance of the Far Eastside, a neighborhood multi-service center.

“This comprehensive model will co-locate participant services and activities that supportively effect all E^7 essential elements,” said Rodney Francis, senior director of Opportunity Youth Services at EmployIndy, “as well as the 14 WIOA youth elements, developing work, life, and leadership skills that ultimately empower meaningful pathways to employment.”

Public Allies Indianapolis received $30,000 from the foundation for program services. Public Allies is a partnership between the Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center and Public Allies, a national AmeriCorps program. In Indianapolis, non-profit partner organizations “host” a Public Ally, who fills key roles within the organizations. The Ally serves for ten months, ultimately increasing the organization’s capacity while building the Ally’s leadership skills. More than 80 non-profits have hosted a Public Ally since 2009. Seventy-eight percent of Public Allies graduates stay in Indiana, and 75 percent of graduates are employed by non-profit organizations.

“The financial support from the Starbucks Foundation provides us with greater opportunity to reach populations who face unique challenges in accessing education and employment,” said Vicki Rubio, program director, Public Allies Indianapolis. “We believe ‘everyone leads’ at Public Allies. These funds will help us identify and foster emerging leaders in our community, while increasing the capacity of the non-profits we serve to meet the needs of more youth, veterans and military spouses, and refugees.”

EmployIndy guides the local workforce ecosystem and makes strategic investments to remove barriers to quality employment for underserved and underrepresented residents. As the workforce development board for Marion County, guided by 21 business, civic, education and non-profit community leaders, EmployIndy invests $20 million in public, private and philanthropic funds for both youth and adults annually.

The Indianapolis Resource Center, through facilitation, training and coaching, strengthens the capacity of neighborhood-based organization and neighbors to mobilize existing assets, support grassroots leadership and foster collaboration. INRC was established in 1994 as a private, non-profit organization.

Contact:
Lara Beck, 317-727-0016 (INRC)
Joe Backe, 317-713-7601 (EmployIndy)