Supporting the Workforce Development Efforts of New and Emerging Job Training Programs

Neighborhood Jos Trust Invests $500,000 in four Community-Based Organizations in Boston

The Neighborhood Jobs Trust (NJT) is a public charitable trust that supports local organizations that address the employment needs of low-to-moderate-income adults. NJT was founded in 1987 to ensure that large-scale real estate development in Boston directly benefits Boston residents through jobs, job training, and related services. Funding in the trust is replenished by Jobs Linkage fees paid by developers of large-scale commercial projects in the city. The Office of Workforce Development (OWD) manages and administers these funds. Since its inception, NJT has received over $55 million in Linkage funds to support Boston’s education and workforce development efforts. 

In 2024, OWD set aside $500,000 in NJT funding to pilot the New and Emerging Programs Initiative with the goal of supporting a cohort of grassroots job-training programs. The funds were made available through an open and competitive application process to organizations with an operating budget under $1,500,000 that had not previously received NJT funding. Through the initiative, NJT provided technical assistance to four smaller, often underserved, community-based organizations, supporting their capacity-building efforts, advancing their mission, and enabling them to be more competitive in their applications for future funding opportunities. The organizations also received one-on-one consultations customized to their needs and four cohort meetings focused on topics relevant to them all.

The four programs chosen served a total of 58 low-income Boston residents in a variety of job-training and related support services: 

1. The Primeras Maestras program trains low-income Spanish-speaking adults in the Rafael Hernández Dual Language school community to become dual language educators.
2. The Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Certification for English Language Learners program at the Jamaica Plain Community Centers Adult Learning Program is an intensive program where learners actively pursue CNA and CPR credentials while improving their English language proficiency.
3. The Loop Lab provides a highly regarded Media Arts Apprenticeship program that directly establishes career pathways in the creative economy for young adults of color.
4. The THRIVE phlebotomy training program at Empowered And Dedicated to Edify the Nation (EDEN) aims to help primarily single mothers experiencing homelessness secure stable employment in the healthcare field.

The Emerging Programs initiative succeeded in developing the capacity of participating programs to provide workforce development services to Boston residents. In a final survey, three of the four grantees agreed or strongly agreed that they had a better understanding of the workforce development funding landscape than before they participated in the NJT cohort, and all of the grantees described benefits such as developing new partnerships, enhancing program design details, and pursuing new funding opportunities.

• Friends of the Hernández School developed and refined their relationships with employer partners. For example, they engaged in discussions with Boston Public Schools about linking their Primera Maestras program to the BPS Bilingual Educators & Advanced Community to Teaching Program to support a pipeline from paraprofessional roles to teaching positions. They also secured a $300,000 grant to train 15 to 19 participants per year for the next 3 years (up to 57 total), and have applied for approximately $300,000 in additional funding (status pending). Friends of the Hernandez School also submitted a successful application for NJT funding to support the Primera Maestras program in Fiscal Year 2026.
• The Loop Lab secured a $300,000 grant in partnership with Just A Start/YouthBuild and the Huntington Theater to develop a curriculum for a new training program. They anticipate serving an initial cohort of 15 young people trained for Theater Technician positions with the Huntington Theater and affiliates, with the potential for further funding to expand on this pilot program in future years. The Loop Lab was also selected as one of only seven organizations, out of applicants from 22 eligible states, to participate in the Apprenticeship Building America Community of Practice. This exclusive cohort consists of community-based organizations, youth intermediaries, and workforce development boards dedicated to expanding pre-apprenticeship and Registered Apprenticeship programs for young adults.
• Jamaica Plain Community Center Adult Learning program will continue its CNA for English Language Learners program with $200,000 in funding from the MassSTEP program through the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. They will serve a total of 40 participants in 4 cohorts over the next 2 years.
• Jamaica Plain Community Center Adult Learning Program and EDEN partnered together to submit a grant application for nearly $400,000, which would allow them to provide an ESOL for Employment program, with a funding decision still pending. This was a new partnership for these organizations resulting from their participation in the NJT Emerging Programs technical assistance.  

In the final feedback survey, one participant noted,

“We appreciated the shared learning experience, the collaborative approach employed by staff and consultants, networking among peers and learning about their great programs, and relevant information on funding opportunities.” 

Learn more about the Neighborhood Jobs Trust at boston.gov/neighborhood-jobs-trust. For more information on funding opportunities from the Office of Workforce Development, visit boston.gov/owd-grantmaking.