The objective of the Jobs Fund is to help build the life-long economic security of low-income women-headed families in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area by building better pathways to self-sufficient jobs, and by increasing the percentage of single mothers being placed in, retaining, and advancing in high-growth jobs in three targeted sectors (health care, real estate, and protective services) and non-traditional occupations. The Jobs Fund targets three high-growth sectors in the region:

• Health Care (some examples of occupations include medical assistants, medical records/health information technicians, nurses, and dental hygienists)
• Real Estate (some examples of occupations include brokers, sales agents, and property managers)
• Protective Services (some examples of occupations include police officers, fire fighters, security guards, and occupations related to homeland security)

There are two types of grant opportunities:

• Planning Grants - targeting established organizations that are developing or improving an idea, approach, and/or collaborative model (6-12 months)
• Impact Grants - targeting organizations that can demonstrate a track record in delivering results (12 months)

The current grant cycle is closed.  We are not accepting applications for the Jobs Fund. Information will be released by December 2008 regarding plans for Phase 2 of Stepping Stones and the Jobs Fund.

Contact Gwen Rubinstein at 202.347.7737 ext. 215 or grubinstein@wawf.org for additional information.