Expand Opportunity

In rural Appalachia, poverty rates are higher and postsecondary completion rates are lower than national averages. Decades of economic shifts and the loss of key industries have left many communities with limited, disjointed education and job opportunities.

Coalfield Development Corporation created a workforce development model through which unemployed and underemployed individuals work toward an associate’s degree, participate in personal and professional development activities, and gain on-the-job experience in industries taking hold in the region, including sustainable construction, solar energy, and mine-land reclamation.   

Ascendium’s $2 million grant will help Coalfield Development Corporation replicate its workforce development model across the region. The model has proven effective for more than a decade, resulting in increased pathways to socioeconomic well-being for rural Appalachians.

Almost one in five San Antonio, Texas, residents is living below the poverty level, with the metro area having a poverty rate of 17.7% (Source: City of San Antonio). While the area is seeing a rapid increase in jobs, particularly in technology and health fields, many of these opportunities remain out of reach for the people who need them most.

In partnership with community colleges, businesses, and other organizations, Project QUEST provides underemployed San Antonio residents with career training and job coaching services tied to living-wage jobs.

Ascendium’s $3.2 million grant will allow Project QUEST to expand its career training and job coaching services. Reflecting our commitment to build evidence for promising models, we paired our grant with an independent evaluation. This evaluation will help Project QUEST and the broader field understand how the organization’s services impact participants’ long-term wage gains.