On December 7th, 2021, the NBA Foundation announced that they will be awarding grant funding to nonprofits providing services to Black youth that create employment opportunities, further career development, and drive greater economic empowerment.
SOME has been selected as a grantee, and the provided funding will go towards SOME’s Center for Employment Training (CET). SOME CET empowers people to move out of homelessness and poverty and into living-wage careers through hard and soft skills training, adult basic education, and career development.
With over 20 years of experience, SOME CET has developed successful ways to address the common barriers youth face when trying to obtain gainful employment. These barriers include access to transportation, limited education, lack of parental guidance, justice-involved backgrounds, and more. SOME CET is unique in its ability to eliminate barriers to success as it does not require students to have a high school diploma, and participants can enroll if they have a sixth-grade reading level proficiency and third-grade math skills.
“We are deeply honored that the NBA Foundation has chosen to invest in the SOME Center for Employment Training,” said Ralph Boyd, SOME President and CEO. “In operation for more than 20 years, SOME’s CET has learned how to best address the common barriers D.C. youth face when trying to obtain and maintain gainful employment. The NBA Foundation’s investment will not only help CET’s students create pathways to sustaining and rewarding careers, but help our graduates uplift their families and the broader D.C. community.”
The NBA Foundation’s support of SOME CET will increase the recruitment and enrollment of Black/African-American youth (ages 18-24) and help students maximize their career opportunities. This generous grant also represents a significant milestone for SOME CET as it will be the program’s first national-level partnership.