I am pleased to announce that DEED has awarded 42 grants statewide totaling $10,940,160 under the Minnesota Pathways to Prosperity program.  

DEED received nearly $21 million dollars in funding requests and $10,940,160 was available for Pathways to Prosperity grant awards in the SFY 2020-21 funding cycle.   

Pathways to Prosperity plays an essential role in reducing economic disparities across the state. These competitive grants fund programs and services that provide workforce development and training opportunities to adults in Minnesota experiencing barriers to employment. Programs by grantees help job seekers develop increased career awareness, participate in education training and skills-training programs, obtain certificates, industry recognized credentials and post-secondary credits, and connect to employment in high growth, high demand industries with long-term opportunities. 

In addition, each program includes wraparound services – such as access to childcare, transportation, or food assistance – that help Minnesotans in finding and keeping jobs.

As part of the competitive grant improvement process we rolled out earlier this year, the teams of reviewers, who represented both DEED and community organizations, read and scored every single proposal. This was no small task. DEED received twice as many competitive requests for Pathways to Prosperity funding than we could fulfill. And this year, we set out to allocate more funding across the state; include new service providers, who target their services to individuals with multiple barriers to employment; and as part of our equity goal, ensure services are available to serve communities of color and new immigrants. I want to acknowledge and thank everyone for their work, especially those from across the state who gave valuable feedback and input to the process. 
 
The organizations below have been awarded grants, pending contract finalization and financial review. I look forward to working with them over the next year on this critical work. 

– Deputy Commissioner Hamse Warfa 

African Community Services, Minneapolis, $266,950 
Career pathways training in information technology, business services and health care to primarily serve East African participants. 

Anoka County Job Training Center, Blaine, $375,000 
Training program will serve participants referred from corrections and will prepare them for entry into a career in manufacturing.  

Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency, Virginia, $160,377 
Career pathways training in transportation serving lower-income residents of Northeast Minnesota. 

Asian Media Access, Minneapolis, $100,000 
Health care training will serve Southeast Asians and other persons of color in Brooklyn Park, Burnsville, Minneapolis and Saint Paul. 

CAPI USA, Brooklyn Center, $300,000 
Immigrants and persons of color will receive health and manufacturing training. 

Central Minnesota Jobs and Training Services, Inc., Monticello, $172,547 
Immigrants and persons of color residing in the 11-county Local Workforce Development Area 5 will receive health and transportation training. 

Change Inc., Minneapolis, $150,000 
Health care training will serve persons of color, English-language learners, and those who speak English as a second language. 

City of Duluth, Workforce Development, $378,500 
Training in health and transportation leading to careers in those sectors will serve African American and American Indian trainees. 

City of Minneapolis, Employment and Training Division, $450,000 
Training in information technology will serve lower-level learners between 7th and 10th grades.  

Community Action Center of Northfield, Inc., Northfield, $63,000 
Health care training will serve persons of color and those with disabilities. 

Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio, Inc., (CLUES), Minneapolis, $300,000 
Training in information technology will be given to bilingual persons of color. 

Confederation of Somali Community, Minneapolis, $100,000 
Somali and other immigrant participants will participate in information technology training. 

East Side Neighborhood Services, Minneapolis, $184,940 
Program participants, primarily low-income persons and communities of color, will receive training in a health care career pathway. 

EMERGE Community Development, Minneapolis, $200,000 
Training in health care leading to careers will be provided to individuals from African American and East African and Somali communities.  

Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota, Saint Paul, $305,847 
Training in business services will be provided to communities of color; those who speak English as a second language and English language learners; low-income individuals; and persons with disabilities. 

Hiawatha Valley Adult Education, Red Wing, $400,000 
Manufacturing training will serve individuals currently incarcerated and those preparing to exit the corrections system. 

HIRED, Minneapolis, $200,000 
Business services, 911 Telecommunications, and training to meet public sector needs will serve communities of color. 

Immigrant Development Center, Moorhead, $100,000 
Health care training will be provided to individuals who speak English as a second language, to English language learners, and to individuals from communities of color. 

International Institute of Minnesota, Saint Paul, $450,000 
Health care training will serve individuals who speak English as a second language, to English language learners, and to individuals from communities of color. 

Jewish Family and Children's Service of Minneapolis, Golden Valley, $350,000 
Training in information technology will be given to communities of color, women, and individuals with disabilities. 

Ka Joog, Minneapolis, $350,000 
Health care training will serve the Somali population. 

Karen Organization of Minnesota, Roseville, $190,430 
Training to enter the public sector and the health care professions, and also serve as professional interpreters, will serve immigrants, refugees, and those who speak English as a second language and English language learners. 

Lutheran Social Service, Saint Paul, $435,000 
Training in health care will serve those who are eligible for the program. 

Metro East Consortium, North Saint Paul, $350,000 
Information technology training will be given to those who are eligible for the program. 

Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Onamia, $300,000 
Training in health care, manufacturing, and transportation will serve the American Indian population. 

Minnesota Computers for Schools, Minneapolis, $250,000 
Training in information technology will be provided to those who are eligible for the program. 

Minnesota Valley Action Council, Inc., Mankato, $400,000 
Training in manufacturing, health care, transportation, and construction will be given to those who are eligible for the program. 

Neighborhood House, Saint Paul, $250,000 
Business services training will serve immigrants, refugees, and low-income individuals. 

Northfield Healthy Community Initiative, Northfield, $109,544 
Training to enter the public sector will serve individuals eligible for the program. 

Northwest Indian Community Development Center, Bemidji, $300,000 
Training for careers in health care, education, and construction will serve the American Indian population and individuals preparing to exit the corrections system. 

Osseo Area Schools, ISD 279, $359,488 
Manufacturing training will serve communities of color and English as a Second Language/English Language Learners. 

Project for Pride in Living, Minneapolis, $300,000 
Training for public sector careers will serve communities of color and low-income individuals. 

Ramsey County Workforce Solutions, $175,000 
Training for health care, manufacturing and automotive careers will serve communities of color and those exiting the corrections system. 

Rochester Adult and Family Literacy, $190,000 
Training for public sector careers will serve individuals eligible for the program. 

Roseville Adult Learning Center, ISD 623, $156,775 
Construction and manufacturing training will be provided to communities of color and those who speak English as a second language and English language learners. 

Saint Paul Public Schools, ISD 625, $262,990 
Training in business services will serve communities of color and those who speak English as a second language and English language learners. 

South Central College, $300,000 
Training in construction and information technology will be provided for individuals eligible for the program. 

Southwest Minnesota Private Industry Council, Inc., $400,000 
Training in health care, manufacturing, agriculture, transportation and construction will serve individuals eligible for the program. 

Twin Cities RISE, $167,138 
Business services training will serve individuals eligible for the program. 

White Earth Tribal and Community College, $300,000 
Training in health care, education, and hospitality will serve individuals eligible for the program. 

Washington County Community Services, Workforce Development Division, $136,634 
Manufacturing training will serve program-eligible individuals. 

YWCA of Minneapolis, $250,000 
Training in the business services sector will serve communities of color, new Americans, women, and low-income individuals.