RPF open for ACCE Foundation's Economic Mobility for Rural Workers Cohort

The ACCE Foundation (ACCEF) received funding from Ascendium Education Philanthropy to advance how chambers serving rural communities can bring local community partners together to provide rural learners and workers from low-income backgrounds with the training needed to access well-paying, high-demand jobs.

Helping rural, low-income learners gain the right skills for long-term success is a fundamental component of creating equitable economic growth. Our economy is changing rapidly, and if we do not support workers and employers in adapting to the new realities of work, we risk leaving the most vulnerable communities behind. This is especially true for rural communities where there are already significant disparities in postsecondary attainment. As more living-wage jobs require training beyond a high school diploma, this attainment gap becomes particularly problematic and threatens the ability of rural communities to thrive.

For decades, communities have been working in silos to address the issue of rural postsecondary education and training. In many cases, the education, nonprofit and business sectors are not communicating with each other, much less collaborating with each other. Chambers of commerce are uniquely suited to building and supporting cross-sector coalitions that create sustained business engagement in education and workforce development. They can support connections between postsecondary education providers, learners and employers to ensure that rural learners have clear pathways to well-paid employment that do not require them to relocate.?

ACCEF is creating an Economic Mobility for Rural Workers Cohort to support chambers as they address these challenges. We will select 10 - 12 rural and/or rural-serving chambers who are ready to implement a specific model (i.e. work-based learning, remote work, navigator programs, upskilling training, etc.) that helps place low-income, rural learners in good-paying jobs. Participating chambers will receive grants of up to $50,000 to support this work.

Application Materials

• Request for Proposals
• Application Template

Submission Deadline

To apply for the cohort, please complete the application template provided above. Applications should be sent as an email attachment to?[email protected]?no later than 5:00 pm ET on Friday, February 10, 2023.

Timeline

Applicants will be notified in early March about their selection to the Economic Mobility for Rural Workers Cohort.

To learn more about the timeline and reporting expectations, click here.