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In a unique arrangement, the SkillWorks Funders Group blends investments from several foundations and public sources of workforce development financing into single public/private grants to service providers, providing a model for simplified, coordinated program support. The Funders Group includes commitments from Boston’s Neighborhood Jobs Trust, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and twelve Boston-based and national foundations: The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund and Frank W. and Carl S. Adams Memorial Fund, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee, Boston 2004, The Boston Foundation,The Clowes Fund, Jessie B. Cox Charitable Trust, The Paul and Phyllis Fireman Foundation, The William Randolph Hearst Foundation, The Hyams Foundation, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The John Merck Fund, The Rockefeller Foundation, State Street Foundation, and United Way of Massachusetts Bay. To date, the funders have allocated nearly $15 million to the initiative. Over five years, $1.5 million will be invested in public policy advocacy, $2.8 million in capacity building, and over $6 million in workforce partnerships. The balance will support evaluation, program management, and a contingency fund for technical assistance. Three standing committees of the Funders Group focus on the activities of each of the components: the Public Policy committee; the Workforce Partnerships committee; and the Capacity Building Committee. In addition to these three committees, ad hoc committees are formed to respond to topics as they emerge. Currently, there are two ad hoc committees: Communications and Evaluation.
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