Nearly $2 Million in Grants Will Support Local Efforts to Increase Education Beyond High School
Dakota Pawlicki, Strategy Officer for Community Mobilization, Lumina Foundation
(Indianapolis, IN, Wednesday, May 30, 2018) – Lumina Foundation, in partnership with the Kresge Foundation, has announced the designation of an additional seven communities across the country as Talent Hubs. These cities, along with 17 others selected in 2017, earned this designation by meeting rigorous standards for creating environments that attract, retain, and cultivate talent, particularly among today’s students, many of whom are people of color, the first in their families to go to college, and from low-income households.
The seven new communities designated as Talent Hubs are: Corpus Christi, Texas; Detroit; Elkhart County, Ind.; Las Vegas; Mobile, Ala.; Rio Grande Valley, Texas; and St. Louis.
Dakota Pawlicki, strategy officer for community mobilization, explains what this designation means for these cities.
SOUNDBITE #1:
THE TALENT HUB DESIGNATION RECOGNIZES HIGH PERFORMING CROSS-SECTOR EFFORTS THAT MEET THE DEMANDS FOR AN EDUCATED WORKFORCE IN COMMUNITIES AND CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. TALENTS HUBS ARE WORKING AT THE SYSTEM LEVEL TO GO BEYOND COLLEGE ACCESS, MAKING SURE RESIDENTS OF ALL AGES AND RACES CAN EARN A HIGH-QUALITY, AFFORDABLE CREDENTIAL. IT ALSO SERVES AS AN ASPIRATIONAL TARGET FOR OTHER CITIES TO MODEL FROM AND WORK TOWARDS.
SOUNDBITE #2:
OUR NATION NEEDS MILLIONS MORE PEOPLE WHO HOLD HIGH-QUALITY CREDENTIALS BEYOND A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA. TALENT HUB DESIGNEES UNDERSTAND THAT POSTSECONDARY INSTITUTIONS ARE THE LIFE BLOOD OF REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND THAT TALENT MORE THAN TAX POLICY AND INFRASTRUCTURE IS WHAT WILL ENABLE A COMMUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN TOMORROW’S ECONOMY. THE GRANT FUNDING AND OTHER ASSISTANCE TO THESE COMMUNITIES SUPPORTS THEIR AMBITIOUS PLANS AND DEMONSTRATES THE STRATEGIES THAT WORK TO ENSURE EVERY COMMUNITY IN AMERICA HAS A PATHWAY TO PROSPERITY.
For more information, visit luminafoundation.org.