FORT WORTH – The Ladder Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to educating, encouraging, and empowering women personally and professionally, has received a multi-year grant from Bank of America. The organization has been named a 2022 Bank of America Neighborhood Builder awardee for its work in the Fort Worth community to reskill and upskill women to ready them for the workforce.
The organization receives a $200,000 grant over two years, comprehensive leadership training for the executive director and an emerging leader on topics ranging from increasing financial sustainability, human capital management and strategic storytelling, joins a network of peer organizations across the U.S., and gets the opportunity to access capital to expand their impact.
The Neighborhood Builders program continues to be the nation’s largest investment into
nonprofit leadership development.
“Sixty percent of persons who lost jobs during COVID-19 were women of color who were
disproportionately represented in the low-wage and high-contact hospitality, grocery, childcare and health care industries. This has brought to the forefront the importance in having a basic understanding of computers and technology that is required to be able to succeed in the new workforce. This funding will allow our organization to continue to expand in the community by growing our leadership team’s knowledge that will allow us to better tell our story and continue to grow in financial sustainability so we can continue to impact the women of Tarrant County and beyond.” – Jessica Seidel, Interim Executive Director
The Ladder Alliance offers women professional education programs to increase their skillset and help achieve higher paying jobs. The courses include Basic Computer Skills Training (BCST), Professional Office Skills Training (POST), Microsoft Office Specialist Training (MOST), and Next Level. POST broadens professional skills, including QuickBooks Basics as a core component, customer service classes taught by Tarrant County College instructors, public speaking, and other professional development topics. The MOST course develops a technical understanding of the Microsoft programs and prepares students with a Microsoft Office
Specialist certification in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Funding will allow the Ladder Alliance to increase the number of students served by 83% by
offering more classes, including to students in underserved locations, reducing barriers to
career readiness in the Metroplex. Many program participants speak primarily Spanish, and with the opportunity to learn from bilingual teachers, students will also expand their English vocabulary.
As a part of the Neighborhood Builder award, Jessica Seidel, Director of Programs and
Operations, has been named an emerging leader by Bank of America. Serving as an integral member of the team, Jessica’s participation in the Bank of America Leadership Development training will help unlock her potential to be a more versatile leader who can rally and manage high-performing teams. With the skills learned from the program, Jessica will be able to better handle real-world leadership challenges and drive team performance.
“Bank of America recognizes the significant contributions women make to our global economy,
and we are honored to partner with the Ladder Alliance to help women lead, create change and grow businesses, ultimately supporting continued economic growth for our city,” said Mike Pavell, Bank of America Fort Worth president. “Knowing our support will help increase the reach of this important organization by more than 80 percent is remarkable, and we look forward to working alongside our Neighborhood Builder partners over the next two years as they do big things for our Fort Worth community.”
In North Texas, 55 nonprofits have been selected as Neighborhood Builders since 2004, with the bank investing $11 million into these local organizations.
The invitation-only program is highly competitive, and organizations are selected by a
committee comprised of community leaders and past Neighborhood Builders honorees.
Through 2021, Bank of America has invested over $280 million in 50 communities through
Neighborhood Builders, partnering with more than 1,400 nonprofits and helping more than 2,800n onprofit leaders strengthen their leadership skills. Neighborhood Builders is just one example of how Bank of America deploys capital in communities, builds cross-sector partnerships, and promotes socioeconomic progress as part of its approach to responsible growth.
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The Ladder Alliance
An established 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to educate, encourage, and empower women through education and workforce development.