Southside Community Optimal Redevelopment Enterprise (SCORE), a community development entity supported by McCaffery Interests Inc., is pleased to announce that it has made a grant of $350,000 to two Chicago nonprofit organizations, PODER and Project H.O.O.D., through its nonprofit affiliate, the Joint-County Opportunity Benefit Support (JOBS) Fund.
Granted $200,000 from the JOBS fund, since 1997 PODER has empowered Spanish-speaking adult immigrants in northern Illinois and Indiana to create successful and fulfilling new lives in the United States. The PODER mission aims to empower individuals with the necessary academic skills to promote human dignity, increase employment potential, and facilitate participation in the larger society through unique in-person and virtual programming focused on language skill development, career exploration and certification, industry-specific job training, and job placement. The JOBS Fund grant will support the organization’s workforce development and on-the-job training initiatives.
“As we move into our new home at PODER HQ, this generous grant will help us expand our program offerings and reach members of our community in new and profound ways,” said Brian Kobinski, PODER Program Co-coordinator.
Project H.O.O.D. (Helping Others Obtain Destiny) was granted $150,000 from the JOBS Fund. The economic empowerment and community revitalization nonprofit was founded in 2011 to end the cycle of poverty, violence, and incarceration by empowering individuals in the Woodlawn and Englewood neighborhoods of Chicago to become peacemakers, leaders, and entrepreneurs. Funds from the JOBS grant will be used to increase the impact of the construction trade training program and provide support services, job readiness, and job placement to those enrolled in the program.
Awarded $50 million in New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutes (CDFI) Fund in the 2021 distribution round, SCORE seeks to invest in operating businesses and community education and healthcare facilities within highly distressed, low-income areas that have experienced a loss of skilled employment, educational achievement, and adequate access to goods and services. Financed by SCORE’s NMTC activity, the JOBS Fund makes grants and loans to organizations focused on economic growth and job training within these areas.
“We are proud to support these Chicago nonprofits and help these organizations grow their impact within the communities they each serve,” said McCaffery President, Ed Woodbury. “The grants will allow these valuable neighborhood resources to enrich programming, expand their reach to more individuals, and ultimately, positively influence today’s workforce.”