4 Black-Led Nonprofits to Support All Year Round
Senior Copy Writer
Throughout Black History Month, we’ve been spotlighting Black-led nonprofits on our LinkedIn Page. The four organizations featured—RE:WORK TRAINING, Braven, Beyond 12, and Genesys Works—do incredible work empowering overlooked communities and helping people reach their full potential.
February might be drawing to a close, but this important work continues all year round. Learn more about these organizations below and visit their websites if you’re interested in supporting or partnering with them!
RE:WORK TRAINING: Connecting untapped talent to tech sales roles
Led by Shelton Banks, RE:WORK TRAINING is one of the only nonprofits focused on helping minority communities access tech sales opportunities—an often-overlooked area. Other nonprofits have begun reaching out to the organization to learn more about how they can add tech sales training as an offering to their community.
One of those nonprofits is All Stars Helping Kids, founded by NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott. On January 22, 2022, All Stars Helping Kids kicked off their first RE:WORK TRAINING Cohort. RE:WORK plans to continue to scale by partnering with nonprofits who want to bring tech sales to their community. Visit reworktraining.org to learn more.
Braven: Bridging the gap between college and meaningful career
Founded and led by Aimée Eubanks Davis, Braven partners with universities and employers to support untapped students from college to career. Fellows emerge with the skills, experiences, networks, and confidence necessary to land a strong first job or entry into graduate school and get on a path to economic freedom.
To date, Braven has worked with 3,300 students across 4 universities (Rutgers University-Newark, San José State, Lehman College, and National Louis University), has launched with Spelman College in Atlanta in January 2022, and is piloting its innovative program to serve alumni of college success organizations locally in Chicago and virtually nationwide. Visit bebraven.org and jobsreport.bebraven.org to learn more.
Beyond 12: Helping students succeed in college and beyond
Founded and led by Alexandra Bernadotte, Beyond 12 is an education technology nonprofit that partners with high schools and colleges to help first-generation students thrive in college and beyond. Since its launch in 2010, the organization has supported over 150,000 students across the country. Beyond 12 is on track to serve 1 million college students annually by 2030 and is piloting an innovative program with community colleges over the next three years to ensure that the COVID-19 pandemic does not permanently derail their students’ college and career dreams.
By integrating personalized coaching with intelligent technology, Beyond 12 offers a comprehensive, data-driven solution to help students succeed in college and beyond. Visit beyond12.org to learn more.
Genesys Works: Creating pathways to career success
Led by Jeffrey Artis, Genesys Works creates pathways to career success for youth from underserved communities. With locations in the Bay Area, Chicago, Houston, the National Capital Region, New York City, and the Twin Cities, the national nonprofit aims to expand to new cities in the coming years, and is presently exploring Columbus, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh as potential locations. To support expansion, it is establishing the Genesys Works Enablement Hub that will deepen its impact in providing students access to multiple career pathways through skills training, meaningful work experiences, and impactful relationships.
Genesys Works is piloting a new 12-week program at its Houston location that prepares graduates to earn the CompTIA A+ certification for IT Support. In collaboration with YUPRO, Genesys Works will place participants into a contract role with a major employer in Houston that may convert into a full-time role earning $50-60k. Visit genesysworks.org to learn more.
