CareerEdge Receives $150,000 Grant from Gulf Coast Community Foundation to Enhance Local Workforce Development Effort
CareerEdge Receives $150,000 Grant from Gulf Coast Community Foundation to Enhance Local Workforce Development Effort
Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida (July 8, 2024) – CareerEdge, the workforce development initiative led by the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, has been awarded a substantial $150,000 grant from Gulf Coast Community Foundation. This generous grant, made possible through the Ed and Barbara Strobel Fund, further solidifies the longstanding partnership between CareerEdge and Gulf Coast Community Foundation. As one of CareerEdge’s founding funders, Gulf Coast Community Foundation has continuously played an active role in advancing their mission.
The grant will support CareerEdge Funders Collaborative’s initiatives in providing an exceptional labor force to growing industries by leveraging community assets and forming high-performing workforce partnerships. CareerEdge will utilize the grant to implement demand-driven strategies, including Fast-Track training programs, on-the-job training, internship reimbursement programs, and employer funding to upskill employees.
“CareerEdge is honored and grateful to continue the longstanding funding partnership with Gulf Coast Community Foundation,” said Dan Sidler, Vice President of CareerEdge & Economic Development. “This investment is critical in supporting our team’s efforts in closing skills gaps to support employers, while also allowing individuals in our community to jump-start a career and enhance their long-term earnings potential.”
Since its inception in 2010, CareerEdge and its employer partners have invested $17.1 million, providing training for 7,655 workers, resulting in 1,646 promotions, 4,951 raises, and $40 million in workers’ aggregate annual earnings. In 2023 alone, CareerEdge and partners invested $1.5 million in workforce development, resulting in 461 workers trained, $1.8 million in added wages, created 100 new jobs, provided 182 new employment opportunities, and 344 new certifications were earned.
About CareerEdge Funders Collaborative
CareerEdge Funders Collaborative is an innovative partnership of business, government, and philanthropic organizations, leveraging public and private dollars to provide opportunities for better jobs and wages in Manatee and Sarasota counties. CareerEdge is the workforce development initiative of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. For more information about CareerEdge and its partners, please visit www.careeredgefunders.org or call 941.556.4045.
About the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce
The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit organization that exists to maximize our members’ success, the community’s competitiveness, and the area’s economic strengths. For more information, call (941) 955-8187 or visit online at www.sarasotachamber.com
About Gulf Coast Community Foundation
Headquartered in Venice, Fla. and with a second office in downtown Sarasota, Fla., Gulf Coast Community Foundation has transformed the region through bold and proactive philanthropy for nearly 30 years. Serving the needs of the region as a partner in philanthropy and leader in community initiatives, Gulf Coast has surpassed granting over $550 million in the areas of: health and human services, civic and economic development, education, arts and culture, and the environment. Gulf Coast was named one of the “Best Nonprofits To Work For” nationally by The NonProfit Times in 2010, 2011, 2017, 2020, 2021, and 2023. To learn more visit GulfCoastCF.org and follow us on Facebook.
