The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has awarded a $4 million grant to Goodwill Southern California to provide job training and placement services in the Inland Empire. The grant is a milestone for Goodwill Southern California as it is the largest ever made in the nonprofit’s 105-year history. A video press conference to announce the grant is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 21, 2021. Click here to view the press conference.
“San Manuel is all about giving a hand up,” said Ken Ramirez, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Chairman. “The Inland Empire, where the San Manuel Reservation is located, was hit hard by unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are giving an additional $4 million to Goodwill Southern California to be able to provide services, whether it’s a career pathway or opportunities to rejoin the workforce as the economy recovers from the pandemic.” This is the second major gift from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians to Goodwill Southern California.
In 2017, the Tribe awarded a three-year grant of $3,380,000. San Manuel is one of the top 10 private employers in the Inland Empire with more than 5,000 employees. The grant will pay out over three years and will fund job training locally. Goodwill Southern California operates three Workforce and Career Development Centers in the Inland Empire, which provide career education, training, work experience and job placement services. The grant supports Goodwill Southern California’s century-old mission: “to transform lives through the power of work.” “We are very grateful to the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, whose generous investment in our community will support the work of our dedicated, passionate, and talented workforce development team in providing job counseling, training, placement and coaching for those in the Inland Empire with barriers to employment,” said Patrick McClenahan, president and CEO of Goodwill Southern California.
While the economy is starting to recover this spring, the need for workforce development is great. Pandemic-related layoffs disproportionately affected low-income and service sector workers whose jobs can’t be done from home. These affected workers – many of them people of color – will need job skills training to transition to new industries and occupations. According to the state Employment Development Department, the Inland Empire’s unemployment rate averaged 8 percent in February, compared to 4 percent in February 2020.
This grant from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians will allow Goodwill Southern California to increase its ability to provide employment services to meet the needs of the thousands of workers displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to expand its successful models to educate and upskill workers for next-level jobs in Goodwill Southern California’s Career Pathways Program. Goodwill Southern California partners with companies, community organizations and government agencies to provide job training and placement. Its social enterprise, including its network of thrift stores, allows the nonprofit to provide services to individuals with the greatest barriers to employment, including veterans, homeless, individuals with disabilities, at-risk youth, the formerly incarcerated, and many more.
To raise awareness and support for this mission, Goodwill recently launched the “Do Good. Do Goodwill.” campaign. In conjunction with the “Do Goodwill” campaign, Goodwill Southern California has established the Goodwill SoCal Jobs Accelerator Fund to expand its capacity to serve Southern California in this time of need. To support Goodwill Southern California’s “Do Good. Do Goodwill” campaign, and the Jobs Accelerator Fund directly, please visit Give.Goodwillsocal.org or Text "JOBS" to (323) 443-1277.
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