(Cleveland, OH) – Open Doors Academy (ODA) and Towards Employment have been named as the 2020 Bank of America Neighborhood Builders® awardees for Cleveland. The nonprofits were selected for their work in the Cleveland community to address issues fundamental to economic mobility.
As an awardee, each organization receives a $200,000 grant, a year of leadership training for the executive director and an emerging leader, a network of peer organizations across the U.S., and the opportunity to access capital to expand their impact. Since 2004, Bank of America has invested over $260 million in 50 communities through Neighborhood Builders, partnering with more than 1,300 nonprofits and helping more than 2,600 nonprofit leaders strengthen their leadership skills.
Towards Employment, a Cleveland-based nonprofit organization, connects people to careers. Through a proven career pathway model and strong partnerships - more than 203,000 served in 44 years - Towards Employment builds skills and confidence, removes barriers to employment and helps jobseekers meet employers’ workforce needs. The organization plans to use its funding to expand its capacity to offer career coaching.
Open Doors Academy’s mission is to protect, inspire, nurture, and challenge youth to reach their full potential. A leading out-of-school time provider in Northeast Ohio since 2002, ODA is currently operating nine Remote Learning Centers, safe and secure places where hundreds of kids can learn under the supervision and care of ODA team members. ODA plans to use its funding to expand its offerings with local school districts.
Neighborhood Builders is an invitation-only program that is highly competitive, and leading members of the Cleveland community participated in a collaborative selection process to identify this year’s awardees. Each year, Bank of America refines the Neighborhood Builders Leadership Program to include topics ranging from strategic storytelling to human capital management, and highlights themes that are critical to moving the nonprofit sector forward within broader societal and economic context.
“As we consider many of the challenges that our community is facing – from the health and humanitarian crisis brought on by the coronavirus to the need for progress on racial equality and economic opportunity – the Neighborhood Builders program is a relevant and timely initiative to support the communities we serve,” said Jeneen Marziani, Bank of America Ohio Market President. “This program enables partners like Open Doors Academy and Towards Employment to plan strategically for growth and long-term sustainability, and we look forward to seeing how this investment helps them make even greater strides to address issues in the Cleveland community.”
“We believe that every kid deserves the opportunity to be successful in and out of the classroom. Poverty, racism, and all the things that fuel them are formidable forces in our kids’ lives. At ODA, our mission is to provide a network of support that empowers our kids,” said ODA’s Chief Executive Officer Dr. Dorothy Moulthrop. “One child at a time, we are transforming kids’ lives.”
“Towards Employment is honored to be one of the 100 organizations across the United States to be awarded the 2020 Neighborhood Builders Award. This support comes at a pivotal moment for our organization as we rethink systems and procedures to respond to the effect of the pandemic and incorporate our learning about the impact of systemic racism. The funding, training and national network connections that Neighborhood Builders provides is invaluable,” said Towards Employment Executive Director Jill Rizika.
Photo courtesy of Bank of America
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