Through the Community Workforce Partnerships Grant Program, the Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED) funds projects or programs that create workforce development opportunities within Massachusetts cities and towns. Successful applications come from a group of local organizations working together in a single city, town, or neighborhood.
Program Information
This program builds on the success of the Urban Agenda grant, which has supported local economic priorities and collective problem-solving for the past ten years. It aims to promote economic mobility and create opportunities for grantees to collaborate with each other. The program also now offers a longer implementation period and higher maximum award amounts.
The Community Workforce Partnership Grant program supports community-led responses to community-defined economic opportunities and challenges, with a particular focus on equipping residents and small business employees with the knowledge, support, and skills to succeed in today’s economy.
The program’s increased emphasis on workforce skills reflects this grant’s new funding source, the Workforce Investment Trust Fund. The fund's goal is to develop and strengthen workforce opportunities for low-income communities and vulnerable youth and young adults in the commonwealth, including providing opportunities and strategies to promote stable employment and wage growth.
Application Information
Applications for this program closed May 2, 2025.
Related
Informational Webinar April 2, 2025
Video: Community Workforce Partnership Grant Program Webinar - April 2, 2025
Skip this video Community Workforce Partnership Grant Program Webinar - April 2, 2025.Informational Webinar April 24, 2025
Video: Community Workforce Partnership Grant Program Webinar Two
Skip this video Community Workforce Partnership Grant Program Webinar Two.2025 Community Workforce Partnership Awards
| Location / Applicant | Fund Amount | Project Description |
|---|---|---|
| Boston - Digital Ready | $150,000 | Year 13 is a workforce development initiative started by Digital Ready for high school students looking to make the next steps towards their future careers. The program blends early college courses and work-based learning experience to help youth navigate the increasingly competitive and complex labor market. The goals of the program are to connect youth with industry partners and educational institutions to provide them with skills and confidence for their future careers. |
| Springfield - EDC 413Works, Inc. | $150,000 | Leap Into Law is a program established by EDC413Works, Inc that prepares underprivileged adults, particularly women and Accelerated Career English (ACE) learners for careers in administration in the legal field. The program provides training of necessary skills in the field and real-world experiences in the workplace. They also provide wraparound services such as childcare, transportation, and other essential services that remove participation barriers. |
| Boston - English for New Bostonians, Inc. | $150,000 | English for Immigrant Entrepreneurs is a program started by English for New Bostonians, Inc. that provides training for business development alongside English language training for immigrants who are small business owners. Participants in the program not only gain confidence in their English-speaking abilities but also gain business skills such as website launching, budget managing, and marketing strategies. |
| Holyoke - Enlace de Familias Holyoke/ Holyoke Family Network Inc,. | $150,000 | Launch & Lead Holyoke is a yearlong program run by Enlace De Familias that provides early-stage small businesses in Holyoke with the opportunities and tools for success. The program works alongside other community organizations to offer personalized support to the needs of individual businesses. They also have a seven-week internship program for Holyoke youth that supports business owners while also providing valuable experience for the next generation of entrepreneurs. |
| Worcester - Family Services of Central Massachusetts | $150,000 | The Project Flourish Program was initiated by the Family Services Organization of Worcester and provides training for childcare workers in the early stages of their careers that provide care for low-income families. The project provides 150 hours of training and 2,000 hours of paid work experience with associated partners. The project provides professional development opportunities to childcare workers who otherwise may not have had the financial means or resources to gain skills that promote economic mobility. |
| Gardner - Growing Places Garden Project, Inc. | $75,000 | Growing Places Garden Project Inc. works in partnership with MassHire North Central Workforce Board, the North Central MA Health Equity Partnership, House of Peace & Education, Inc., and Mount Wachusett Community College to implement a Local Food Workforce Development Program in Gardner, MA. The project establishes sustainable and food focused workforce development pathways, increasing employment within the nutrition and agriculture sectors and strengthening local partnership. The participants in the program are unemployed or underemployed and underserved adults that will be trained in food safety, inventory management, product development, and community food security. The participants will receive wrap-around services, career counseling, and empowerment training in order to increase participant self-sufficiency and wellbeing. |
| Boston - Immigrant Family Services Institute | $150,000 | The ESOL Career Bridge Program - Healthcare Pathway is run by the Immigrant Family Services Institute of Boston and targets low-income immigrants from Mattapan, many of whom have experience in the healthcare industry in their native country. The program equips participants with language training and resources necessary for entrance into the rapidly developing healthcare sector of Boston. They provide ESOL instruction and nurse aide training to prepare participants to pass certification exams and secure employment in the industry. |
| Lowell - International Institute of New England | $150,000 | The proposed Language and Instruction for Further Training (LIFT) project ran by the International Institute of New England aims to help immigrants reach their career goals in the healthcare sector through training programs in English and digital literacy. The program will also provide wraparound services to fight against barriers faced by immigrants in the area and further promote job placement. IINE will lead this initiative in partnership with Middlesex Community College, Lowell Community Health Center, and MassHire Lowell. |
| Boston - Justice For Housing Inc | $150,000 | Justice-4-Housing's Vocational Reentry Program provides training for formerly incarcerated individuals to obtain Commercial Drivers Licenses. Participants are guided through the process from start to finish: beginning with written permit preparation and mindset development, continuing with CDL-driver’s license training, and finishing the program by finding job placements through partnerships with the City of Boston's Office of Returning Citizens. To ensure the long-term success of the program, J4H provides housing and wrap-around services to all participants. |
| Chelsea - La Colaborativa | $150,000 | La Colaborativa's Weatherization Training Program works to create pathways to high-paying careers in the burgeoning energy industry for Latinx and immigrant residents through, career counseling, soft skill development, and workforce training. The program caters to low-income, unemployed, or underemployed residents and provides wrap-around services to reduce barriers to participation. |
| Haverhill - L'Arche Boston North | $150,000 | L'Arche Boston North is opening a cafe that will promote workforce development in Haverhill. In partnership with The Neighborhood Developers, the program will provide vocational training in the culinary field for adults with developmental disabilities and will provide employers with the resources necessary to support developmentally disabled employees. This will help the community meet the demand for skilled food service workers and will provide new career opportunities for disabled individuals. |
| Worcester - Legendary Legacies | $150,000 | Legendary Legacies' "Legendary Transport" provides workforce development opportunities to formerly incarcerated individuals. They offer hands-on experience within the food delivery industry, delivering food from the Worcester County Food Bank to local pantries. The program not only promotes financial stability and economic mobility for formerly incarcerated people, it also advances food access in the region. |
| Malden - MassHire Metro North Workforce Board | $150,000 | The New Biz Program started by the Metro North Regional Employment Board dba MassHire Metro North Workforce Board is an entrepreneurship training program taught in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Each participant in the program is matched with a small business owner mentor, participates in an Entrepreneurship 101 curriculum, and is given wrap-around support as needed. All the support provided by the program will help participants take steps to launch their own business. |
| Boston - More Than Words (MTW) | $150,000 | This is a project targeted at young people who are currently or have been involved with the foster care system, court-system, or have experienced homelessness and have already completed a baseline skills jobs training program with the organization (More Than Words). Youth will partake in a 10-month industry specific career building program focused on green jobs run by the City of Boston. All participants will receive wrap-around services such as monetary support, financial counseling with Ahora, and case management to ensure long term success. |
| Leominster - North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation | $150,000 | The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation's "One North Central Plan" will provide services and programs such as micro-credential programs targeted towards Latinx populations across various sectors. The program will work to increase enrollment and completion rates in micro-credential programs within manufacturing, logistics and distribution, healthcare, and tourism, four industries in which Latinx workers hold the highest percentage of low wage positions. Partners include Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC), the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce (NCMCC) and the Spanish American Center (SAC). |
| Lynn - North Shore Community College Foundation | $100,000 | The North Shore Community College Foundation's project works to ensure economic mobility, career building, and long-term stability through the integration of ESOL training with job skills training. The organization has various initiatives it plans to implement to achieve these goals: The ESOL Academy, an on-campus instruction program for workers at small-mid sized companies, The Workplace ESOL Model, a collaborative effort to provide customized ESOL worker trainings, and The Instructor Pipeline, which will hire new TESOL instructors to advance the program. |
| Quincy - Quincy College | $150,000 | Quincy College's Workforce Development department is building upon its Community Healthcare Work (CHW) program to place low-income students into stable jobs. The new project proposes the enhancement of the CHW program to train 30 new low-income residents with 120 hours of class work and 40 hours of internship work. It also intends to place 28 graduated students into industry credentialed jobs. |
| Boston - Veronica Robles Cultural Center (VROCC) | $75,000 | The Veronica Robles Cultural Center will provide 80 culinary entrepreneurs and creative entrepreneurs with bilingual small business workshops that teach skills such as marketing tactics, capital access, doing taxes, and attaining certifications. Culinary and creative entrepreneurs will gain access to industry specific training and resources and there will be two cohorts per year of both culinary and creative entrepreneurs. |