Truist Financial Corporation and the Lancaster County Community Foundation announced $150,000 in grants to support workforce development programming at four nonprofits serving Lancaster County. The funding provided by the bank and granted through the foundation will support workforce initiatives - including job trainings, scholarships, and employment - that are focused on providing career opportunities to spur economic opportunity and mobility.

The local nonprofits receiving funding are connecting individuals to employment opportunities, delivering training and educational resources, and removing barriers for individuals to help them rebuild their careers and lives. The four nonprofits receiving grants are Lancaster County Conservancy, YWCA Lancaster, Milagro House, and CrossNet Ministries.

Lancaster County Conservancy's $50,000 grant will support its Green-Collar Workforce Initiative, including a summer pilot program to hire and run its own seasonal stewardship crew. The funding will support the hiring of four interns, who will work directly with the Conservancy's field staff members in their primary directive areas of public access, passive recreation, ecosystem health and function, and habitat restoration.

Through a $50,000 grant, YWCA Lancaster will increase the capacity for its New Choices Career Development Program. The program provides ongoing career counseling workshops and individual sessions focused on job training, interview skills, resume building, and job placement opportunities. Additionally, the grant will provide two scholarships to program graduates to purchase educational supplies along with support from a case manager for two years after participants complete the program.

Milagro House's $25,000 grant will support the organization's education and workforce development initiatives, which seek to create opportunities for career exploration and upskilling and/or re-skilling to create pathways to jobs that pay a family-sustaining wage for women in the Lancaster community. The funding will be used to pay for GED instruction and a GED curriculum, postsecondary programs and counseling, and testing and fees, along with career preparedness workshops, job shadowing, and mentorship programs.

CrossNet Ministries' $25,000 grant will be used to expand its Pathways to Housing Program. The program supports individuals moving from homelessness to permanent housing through financial empowerment training, case management services, and secure housing. The grant will help expand the program's capacity and the ability to provide more job upskilling opportunities for participants, as well as additional job skills and employment evaluations.

To learn more, visit http://www.lancfound.org.