Summer News 2023

STRIVE Receives Largest Gift To Date:

$5 Million to Jumpstart Ten-Year Growth Plan

New Partnership with the Justice and Mobility Fund to Significantly Scale Our Impact and Reach More Justice-Impacted Individuals

STRIVE has launched an ambitious growth plan to scale our nationwide programs and services over the next decade to expand from serving 2,000 people annually in 2023 to 10,000 annually by 2033, with half of those served having a justice-impacted background.

Thanks to the Justice and Mobility Fund of Blue Meridian Partners, STRIVE created an action plan with support from The Bridgespan Group to reach the 10-year goal. The Justice and Mobility Fund is a collaboration launched by The Ford Foundation and Blue Meridian Partners with support from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies.

All STRIVE-operated sites will gain expanded programs and services with a focus on increased support for the justice involved. 

“The Justice and Mobility Fund is dedicated to organizations that serve those who face multiple barriers to economic mobility due to interactions with the criminal justice system. STRIVE has been doing this work for decades. Because of their strong track record of impact with people too often excluded from the workforce, we are excited to fund STRIVE as they scale to new cities and bring the hope of opportunity to thousands of individuals across the country. With nearly a third of Americans bearing the weight of a criminal justice record, it is essential that we invest in effective and reliable programs like STRIVE to help these individuals rebuild their lives and get a true second chance.”

Le’Ann Duran, Senior Director, Portfolio, Justice and Mobility Fund

STRIVE’s ambitious new growth plan aims to increase people served annually from 2,000 in 2023 to 10,000 in 2033. Even with this historic $5 million gift and support from a community of national supporters, STRIVE will need to secure significant additional support to fully fund this growth.  STRIVE’s budget is projected to increase from $14 million in 2023 to $20 million in 2025 in order to realize the vision of supporting more people on the road to upward mobility and financial empowerment. 

STRIVE '15 Graduate with New Orleans Partner Program

STRIVE Birmingham Inaugural Cohort Students earn credentials, July 2023

STRIVE Birmingham's inaugural cohort will soon complete its Healthcare & Office Operations training and graduate on August 25. Congratulations to this inspiring group who are celebrating the first steps toward their new careers!

Strong early partnerships with local employers will ensure STRIVE Birmingham graduates are connected to career pathways with quality local employers that offer industry-competitive compensation and opportunity including the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Cooper Green Hospital and iSolved.

We thank our local community partners who came to STRIVE Birmingham to work with our first class of students including Jones Valley Teaching Farm, CommuteSmart, Birmingham Society of Human Resource Management and Alabama Power.

Special thanks to The Good Jobs Challenge sponsored by The City of Birmingham's Department of Innovation and Economic Development, along with a dedicated community of local and national funding partners, for their continued support of STRIVE Birmingham.

Ares Volunteers Support Atlanta & New York

Thank you Ares Management volunteers for conducting mock interviews with STRIVE Atlanta and STRIVE New York students to practice interview skills and provide constructive feedback and tips for getting job offers.  

"Working one-on-one with STRIVE students who are starting their first career path, or who are looking for new career opportunities, allows Ares to more meaningfully connect to STRIVE’s impact. We are thrilled to support eager job seekers and STRIVE’s commitment to equitable and gainful employment, " says Lee Fabiaschi, VP of Employee Engagement & Community Impact at Ares.  

STRIVE is a proud grantee of the Ares Charitable Foundation to advance equity through economic opportunities for women.

The STRIVE Board of Directors welcomes James E. Thomas II, Partner and Lead at EY Americas Financial Services Office for Indirect Tax. James is a self-described empathetic and servant leader who believes in the power of workforce development programs to help individuals and communities break through the cycle of systemic poverty and build generational wealth. 

“I am a fervent champion of STRIVE and the life changing impact STRIVE programs and services have on multi barrier individuals and communities, particularly for young adults who are seeking guidance and support. I heard the call to contribute my voice to this work by serving on the STRIVE Board of Directors and I look forward to working closely with an incredible team of leaders and staff to help bring the STRIVE impact to more new cities and communities across the country for years to come,” says James Thomas, Partner and Lead at EY and STRIVE Board Member.

We are proud to present our 2022 Impact Report. In this quick digital report you will find inspiring success stories of STRIVE graduates, learn about recently secured funding to enhance STRIVE programs and discover our new Growth Plan which is on track to bring STRIVE to even more cities each year through 2033 to serve up to 10,000 individuals annually. 

As we celebrate the incredible success of STRIVE graduates and the phenomenal expansion of STRIVE programming across the country, we thank our dedicated community of partners, champions and supporters for joining us in our vision to ensure that everyone can achieve upward mobility and financial empowerment for themselves and their families. 

To be included on the invitation, please pledge your sponsorship by September 29, 2023.

Join Our Team

We want to hear from you!