MIDDLEBURY — The J. Warren & Lois McClure Foundation has announced available funding for the 2017-18 school year to support projects that create systemic improvement in the access all Vermonters have to postsecondary and career education. A supporting organization of the Vermont Community Foundation, the McClure Foundation envisions a Vermont where no promising job goes unfilled for lack of a qualified applicant.
The McClure Foundation’s primary interest is in funding projects with statewide impact that are aligned with multi-sector postsecondary attainment or workforce development efforts. Grant awards range from $10,000 to $60,000.
For the 2017-18 school year, McClure Foundation funding will prioritize projects that accomplish one or more of the following: encourage equal access to career and technical education programs that articulate pathways to further education and training; promote postsecondary attainment for low-income students, first-generation college students, adult learners and/or veterans — particularly those enrolled in the Vermont State Colleges; further the equitable implementation of recent state legislation including the Flexible Pathways Initiative; and build partnerships between employers and academic institutions.
A primary goal of the McClure Foundation’s grant-making program is to improve education and training pathways to jobs listed in “Pathways to Promising Careers,” a new resource published in partnership with the Vermont Department of Labor. “Pathways” identifies 54 promising jobs expected to pay at least $20/hour and have at least 100 openings over the next decade. The resource is available online at www.mcclurevt.org/pathways.
Nonprofits and municipal entities interested in applying for funding can submit a letter of interest by 5 p.m. on Feb. 6. Additional information about the grant round is available atwww.mcclurevt.org.