February 29, 2024 — Catalyze today announced the winners of round three of the Catalyze Challenge. In total, 15 organizations will receive $3.3 million to pilot innovative career-connected learning initiatives. These grants focus on increasing learner agency and employer-learner engagement and are expected to positively impact more than 25,000 learners ages 11 to 22 through career-connected learning.

Round three of the Catalyze Challenge received more than 850 applications from organizations across the U.S. working to pioneer innovative and transformative learning models and pilot programs to boost access to high-quality career opportunities for young people. The 15 winning organizations stood out in their efforts to create learning opportunities that bridge the gap between learning and work through employer and community partnerships. 

“Employers have a huge role to play in increasing young people’s exposure to high-quality, career-oriented learning experiences. To make these experiences possible, we need to strengthen the links that connect education to the professional world — these 15 organizations do that,” said Dr. Michelle Cheang, director of Catalyze. “By investing in and expanding early access to hands-on career experiences, Catalyze is laying the groundwork for brighter, more successful futures for learners.”

The 15 winners of round three of the Catalyze Challenge are:

Career Exploration for Young People

A growing body of research shows that starting career exploration at a younger age can have profound implications for learners’ career trajectories — two out of three high school students and recent high school graduates surveyed by American Student AssistanceⓇ say they would have benefited from more career exploration in middle and/or high school. Additional research found that nearly 80% of high school guidance counselors state their students feel overwhelmed by college and career choices. By giving young learners the opportunity to sharpen their skills, explore their interests and develop their individual strengths, these new grantees are connecting the next generation to purposeful work. 

Grantees such as The Hidden Genius Project and NewBridge Cleveland Center for Arts and Technology are expanding and creating pre-apprenticeships and training programs, adjusting curricula to specifically meet the needs of middle school students. RevX is expanding its micro-apprenticeship program for learners starting in third grade in the Bronx and rural Mississippi to equip them with hands-on career experiences. And clubs and game-based learning programs like those at Hack Club and Chicago Scholars Foundation are helping young learners explore careers in fun and accessible ways.

Activating Employer Partnerships

In a rapidly evolving job market, it’s critical that businesses – small, medium and large – partner with community organizations and schools to create meaningful experiences that help young learners envision, define and pursue their career paths. These experiences are a win-win — they equip the future workforce with the skills and experiences necessary to succeed and help connect employers with potential workers ready to contribute and grow.

Through Catalyze support, grantees are engaging employers in new and innovative ways. Project Success will launch a career pathway initiative with Minneapolis Public Schools and local employers to facilitate workshops, expeditions and certificate programs for students. In Wisconsin, the National Indian Education Association will pilot a new summer program bringing together learners and employers to facilitate pathways for Native American opportunity youth to gain career readiness, financial literacy and interpersonal growth. While Escalate will partner with a Fortune 10 company to launch three new career pathways for frontline workers to upskill and advance in their careers.

Round three of the Catalyze Challenge was supported by American Student AssistanceⓇ, Beth and Ravenel Curry Foundation, Charles Koch Foundation, the Schultz Family Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation — and these 15 new grant recipients join a network of more than 40 organizations at the forefront of career-connected learning. Learn more at https://catalyzechallenge.org/. 

Quotes From R3 Catalyze Grantees

“We’re excited to be a part of a national initiative dedicated to career-connected learning and enabling students to steer individual educational journeys.” Jeanne Russell, founding executive director of CAST Schools.

“We’re thrilled to join a community of trailblazers focused on new career pathways and opportunities for underserved students. Chicago Scholars has a long history of helping over 6,000 students navigate college and careers, often surpassing national averages. With Catalyze’s support, we’re launching REACH to scale our proven curriculum to learners nationwide. Joining the Catalyze community is a critical step in transforming access and realizing our goals.” Michelle Patterson, managing director of development for Chicago Scholars

“We’re thrilled to receive a Catalyze grant, as it allows us to pilot comprehensive healthcare apprenticeships for students and gain valuable insights from fellow grantees whose programs also guide young people toward promising careers.” Ellen Hatcher, deputy director, development, Educate Texas 

“We founded Escalate to engage employers in a new way — one that we really believe will drive change for under-resourced communities across the US. When we saw Catalyze and its focus on activating employer partnerships, it was such a clear and exciting fit. We’re thrilled to be a Catalyze grantee to learn from the network as we grow our impact.” Sean Segal and Sienna Daniel, co-founders of Escalate

“Generation Schools Network is delighted to be chosen as a grantee for the Catalyze Challenge. This grant enables us to create intentional place-based entrepreneurship pathways that empower special populations or justice-involved youth. Our Entrepreneurship Fair emphasizes student agency, community engagement, and practical assistance to bridge the gap and foster success. We’re creating an ecosystem of empowerment and we are grateful to nurture it with Catalyze’s support.” Wendy Loloff-Cooper, CEO of Generation Schools Network

“Hack Club is proud to be a Catalyze Round Three grantee. This support profoundly impacts our mission to equip teenagers from diverse backgrounds with technical and career skills. Our program provides leadership opportunities for teenagers, enabling them to establish Hack Clubs alongside thousands of their peers. This approach ensures that the programs remain relevant and empowers teens to take charge of their learning.” Christina Asquith, co-founder and COO, and Zach Latta, founder, of Hack Club 

“We’re excited to be selected as a Round Three Catalyze grantee in partnership with Breakthrough Collaborative. This grant provides us with a unique opportunity to access essential funding, support, and a learning community to advance our collective work. Working together with Breakthrough Collaborative, we will develop and scale an apprenticeship model based on their successful approach to attracting young people to teaching. We are grateful for Catalyze’s support as we embark on this critical journey together.” David Donaldson, founder and managing partner, National Center for Grow Your Own

“With the support of Catalyze, we’ll help thousands of low-income high school students achieve economic mobility. By providing them with college credit-bearing courses and supports from renowned colleges across the nation, we’re extending the American Dream to all future leaders. This is a crucial investment in America’s destiny.” Leslie Cornfeld, founder and CEO at National Education Equity Lab

“We are thrilled to partner with Catalyze to advance career-connected learning for our English Learner students in Minneapolis. We look forward to helping our students connect to their purpose through this important initiative, and engaging employers in educating our future’s workforce.” Dr. Elia Dimayuga-Bruggeman, senior education advisor, Project Success

“The Hidden Genius Project is ecstatic to receive the Catalyze grant. The award helps us create and test innovative learning opportunities for the 21st century. Our primary achievement thus far has been empowering alumni to take on leadership roles and contribute to shaping our educational offerings. With this grant, we’ll leverage the talents of young people and enhance STEAM education across our communities.” Brandon Nicholson, CEO at The Hidden Genius Project

“We are honored to be a part of the Catalyze community working alongside other organizations to ensure students furthest from opportunity are prepared to thrive in a changing world. As a grantee, we will continue to refine our efforts to reimagine career readiness for high school students that centers their interests and builds their agency. We look forward to learning from and contributing to this amazing group in order to advance systems change.” Aditi Garg, Futureshock lead, the Reinvention Lab at Teach For America

“The impact of this grant is life-changing — not just for The New Trade Program, but for the students that we will impact. This grant offers us the opportunity to accelerate the development of our programs and offer access to a significantly higher number of students from underserved communities.” Salim Holder, founder and CEO, The New Trade Program

“Healthcare tops the list of industries that employ the most people in Greater Cleveland, Ohio. We are honored and excited to join the Catalyze community, as we set out to spark youth interest in health careers through engaging exploration that will pair hands-on learning labs with virtual simulation and expose middle school students to a wide variety of allied health careers. As we inspire students to see themselves in this impactful field, we will be intentional about capturing program impact and providing ongoing support that will help students reach their career goals.” Bethany Friedlander, president and CEO of New Bridge Cleveland, and Crystal Reed, associate director, Healthcare Sector Partnership

Click here to view announcement from Catalyze.