County Council, Venture Philanthropy Partners, and Fair Chance Celebrate First Cohort of Nonprofit Capacity Building Partnership During “Prince George’s Proud” Graduation Event

Nonprofits Complete “Ready for Work” Initiative to Better Serve Prince George’s County Youth

The Prince George’s County Council, Venture Philanthropy Partners (VPP) and Fair Chance will celebrate the first cohort of the Ready for Work Nonprofit Capacity Building Program during “Prince George’s Proud,” a virtual graduation event on March 18, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. The Ready for Work Nonprofit Capacity Building Program was formed to strengthen nonprofits to better serve youth across the County.

The Council partnered with VPP in 2017 to support nonprofits in Prince George’s County dedicated to improving the lives of young people with FY 2018 funding support for the Ready for Work Nonprofit Capacity Building Program pilot initiative. Following three years of consecutive funding from the Council, the program has expanded to now include three cohorts and ten nonprofits.

Council Chair Calvin S. Hawkins, II, congratulates the 2021 graduates of the Ready for Work Nonprofit Capacity Building Program:

“First Generation College Bound, FAME, Joe’s Movement Emporium and End-Time Harvest Ministries are nonprofits with a history of success in Prince George’s County, providing a wide range of services and resources to improve the lives of our children and young people.  Their completion of this program signals even greater outcomes in the years ahead, and we look forward to their continued success.  I want to thank VPP and Fair Chance for their investment in the lives of our young people.”

VPP President and CEO Carol Thompson Cole also offers congratulatory remarks.

“I want to thank the Prince George’s County Council for recognizing the importance of developing this capacity to ensure that more youth in the county could receive the support needed to thrive in their communities. Many thanks to Fair Chance for partnering with us in this capacity building initiative, and congratulations to the graduating Cohort 1 nonprofit partners.”

The Ready for Work Nonprofit Capacity Building Program is a six-year initiative to help young people in Prince George’s County successfully transition to career and college ready adults.  A key goal of the Ready for Work Nonprofit Capacity Building Program is to build networks of community-based organizations that provide integrated supports for students. This program will strengthen the capacity of these nonprofits to provide more students in the County with high-quality services.

Following a competitive process, First Generation College Bound, Foundation for the Advancement of Music and Education (FAME), Joe’s Movement Emporium and End-Time Harvest Ministries were selected as the first cohort of nonprofit organizations specifically focused on supporting high school students to achieve with academic success, high school completion, post-secondary preparation, career readiness and healthy behaviors.

Fair Chance, an experienced provider of nonprofit capacity building, partnered with VPP on this program and worked with the nonprofits to improve organizational outcomes. During the three-year program, the graduating cohort of nonprofits focused on fundraising and grant writing, financial management, human resource management, program design and evaluation, and emerging with stronger boards.

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This press release can be found on the Prince George’s County Council Website at https://pgccouncil.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=978.