Catalyze Birmingham Challenge awards almost $717,000 to four Alabama nonprofits to create career pathways for youth

Birmingham’s commitment to innovation and collaboration in the nonprofit sector shines again with the announcement of the second round of winners for the Catalyze Birmingham Challenge. This initiative, supported by the Walton Family Foundation and a coalition of local funders, continues to empower organizations that create opportunities for young people to explore careers and connect education to meaningful work experiences.

Catalyze Birmingham Challenge Specialist Carlisha Harris emphasized the importance of the initiative’s ongoing impact and commitment to fostering career-connected learning.

“Building on the success of our inaugural round, this second cohort of Catalyze Birmingham grantees reflects the growing momentum and innovation in Birmingham’s push for career-connected learning. These organizations are driving transformative change in career-connected learning and demonstrating the power of collaboration and community-focused solutions. We’re thrilled to support their vision and excited to see the impact they will create,” Harris said.

The second round of the Catalyze Birmingham Challenge awarded $716,929 to four nonprofits selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants:

• Black Women’s Mental Health Institute ($224,000): Through the Mental Health Career Navigation Fellowship, the Black Women’s Mental Health Institute seeks to create interest in mental health careers by introducing high school juniors and seniors from the Birmingham region to the field. The fellowship prioritizes Black, rural and low-income students while remaining open to all eligible participants.
• Blount County Education Foundation ($188,734): The BIG Virtual Careers initiative is a career exploration mobile unit customized as a multi-modal lab space for learners ages 14-18. This mobile lab delivers career exploration opportunities and raises awareness of college and career-ready programs available at the Blount County Career Technical Center across seven communities.
• Jefferson State Community College Foundation, Inc. ($150,000): The WOW: JSCC Workforce on Wheels bridges the gap between education and high-demand careers through mobile career exploration simulators to learners aged 11-18. These immersive, video game-like training tools will provide youth across the college’s four-county service area with firsthand exposure to career pathways through industry-backed curriculum and simulations.
• YMCA of Greater Birmingham ($154,195): The Bridge to Success program is to be delivered out of the Northeast YMCA in Roebuck to 18- to 22-year-olds as a resource hub for the neighborhood that will include counseling services, a state-of-the-art pediatric clinic, affordable home ownership and youth center. The Northeast Y’s Leadership and Learning Center will be the epicenter for career pathway service providers to facilitate technical assistance that leads to a higher rate of high school graduates and enrollment in a trade certification program, college or a civic service academy.

In March 2024, the Catalyze Birmingham Challenge awarded $720,000 to five organizations demonstrating bold and innovative approaches to career-connected learning. This inaugural cohort forged powerful partnerships with employers and communities to transform educational experiences — and their initiatives continue to inspire and shape Birmingham’s education landscape.

Catalyze Birmingham Challenge is a collective effort — with support from the national Catalyze initiative and funding from the Walton Family Foundation, and with matched funding from the local philanthropic and business community, including the Mike & Gillian Goodrich Foundation, Protective Life Foundation, Regions Foundation, the Caring Foundation of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, Alabama Power Foundation, the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, the Altec/Styslinger Foundation and Innovate Alabama. The City of Birmingham and EmpowerED Birmingham are critical partners with Prosper to help develop the challenge contours to best serve the community.

For more information on Catalyze Birmingham Challenge, contact Carlisha Harris at catalyze@prosperbham.com.