EmployIndy, YES Indy Receives Over $5.5 Million from Lilly Endowment to Support and Expand Youth Employment Efforts
INDIANAPOLIS – February 22, 2024 – EmployIndy is grateful for the continued support of Lilly Endowment Inc. to sustain and improve EmployIndy’s Youth Employment System (YES) to effectively address education and employment disparities for Opportunity Youth–youth and young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 who are not in school and not working–in Indianapolis.
According to Measure of America’s Youth Disconnection in America Tool and 2021 American Community Survey data, there are roughly 25,200 Opportunity Youth in Central Indiana, with 15,800 of these disconnected youth residing in Marion County. Youth can become disconnected from education and employment for various reasons such as inadequate access to job training, homelessness, involvement with the justice system, and lack of familial support.
The new $5.5 million Lilly Endowment grant will help EmployIndy strengthen its partnership with community-based organizations that are central to how YES Indy provides guidance and resources to low-income, out-of-school young adults in Marion County so they can set and reach their educational and employment goals.
EmployIndy launched a new three-year strategic plan in 2023, with a focus on scaling four quality interventions that have impact across all populations to address equity and opportunity gaps in education and employment. These interventions include Career-Connected Learning, Coaching + Training, Talent Connection, and Good Jobs. EmployIndy has braided state and federal funding with philanthropic funding to expand and strengthen the delivery of YES Indy quality career navigation services both directly and in partnership with community-based organizations who are essential to this work. These services include developing effective outreach through the Re-Engagement Center (REC) model, providing employability and industry skills trainings, and offering valuable work experiences and job placements.
“We are grateful for Lilly Endowment’s support of our strategic efforts to provide young adults with more opportunities to prepare for sustainable employment,” says EmployIndy President & CEO Marie Mackintosh. “These funds will enable us to continue to expand and enhance the efforts of youth-serving organizations in our community who are re-engaging and supporting those disconnected from school and the workplace.”
In addition to supporting YES Indy network community organizations (see full list below) that directly provide youth services, EmployIndy will invest these grant funds into three key strategies to increase youth engagement with high-quality services:
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Open an additional YES Indy Re-Engagement Center (REC) in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood;
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Add two new YES Indy providers to the network; and
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Increase wages for all YES Indy provider staff to establish a baseline for Good Wages across the network.
Over the past twenty years, the Lilly Endowment, Inc. has provided support that has enabled more than 8,000 Opportunity Youth to enroll in EmployIndy youth employment services.
To deliver YES Indy services, EmployIndy selects community-based organizations through a competitive procurement process. Our current network of providers include:
1. Community Alliance of the Far Eastside (CAFE)
2. Edna Martin Christian Center
3. Fathers and Families Center, Inc.
5. Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana (GCSI)
6. Keys to Work
8. Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center
9. PACE, Inc.
10. YMCA of Greater Indianapolis
Learn more about YES Indy services or connect to a YES Indy service provider at yesindy317.org.
