New York
Chelsea, a Youth Advancing in the Workplace participant, has been interviewed and photographed for a March 2019 article in Life and Thyme, an international food journalism blog. Chelsea works as a wood-fired pizza chef at Emily, a top-rated Brooklyn pizzeria. 60% of the kitchen staff at Emily are participants in Seedco’s Youth Advancing in the…Learn More
Seedco Champions Good Food Jobs at CUNY Urban Food Policy Forum
December 18, 2018On December 18, 2018, Seedco’s Senior Associate Alexander Breen was a panelist at the CUNY Urban Food Policy Forum, which focused on ‘Growing Good Food Jobs in NYC.’ Alexander and his fellow panelists — Lynn Loflin from Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, Alix Fellman from WHEDCo/Bronx CookSpace, and Olivia Blanchflower from GrowNYC — spoke from their…Learn More
Seedco Executive Director Meets with NYC Deputy Mayor Phil Thompson and Workforce Leaders
November 19, 2018On November 19, 2018, Seedco’s Executive Director Tara Colton joined a group of workforce leaders to meet with New York City Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives Phil Thompson, his Chief Strategy Officer Mike Nolan, and Amy Peterson, the new Director of the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development. Tara and her colleagues emphasized the impact of investing…Learn More
Youth Advancing in the Workplace Participant Speaks at Mayoral Event
September 25, 2018Faith Woney joined Seedco’s Youth Advancing in the Workplace program in 2016, and is one of our many alumni success stories! Seedco helped place Faith in a job at Ovenly, a Brooklyn-based bakery, where she has since been promoted and continues to be an invaluable team member. Faith was invited to speak at the New…Learn More
In June 2018, Seedco was awarded $6 million in new funding from the U.S. Department of Labor’s (USDOL) Re-Entry Employment Opportunity Program to serve a total of 760 justice-involved individuals in four states: New York, Arkansas, Tennessee and Maryland. The programs will launch in July 2018 and operate through 2021. Seedco was awarded $4,358,210 to serve 570 justice-involved young adults ages 18 to 24 in West Baltimore, MD; South Bronx, NY; Memphis, TN; and West Memphis, AR and $1,496,779 to serve 190 justice-involved adults in Memphis, TN and West Memphis, AR. This funding builds on Seedco’s three current re-entry programs in Memphis and Baltimore funded by the U.S. Department of Labor.Learn More
Seedco Highlighted in ‘Best for NYC’ Campaign
June 15, 2018Seedco is proud to be part of New York City’s ‘Best for NYC’ campaign, which helps employers connect with programs to train their employees and source diverse talent. Seedco was recently highlighted for its work helping food industry employers recruit, retain and advance high-performing employees through strategic hiring, training and performance evaluation procedures. The campaign shared the story of Josh, one of Seedco’s successful program participants: “In 2017, Seedco helped Josh find his first job at Ivan Ramen’s fast-casual Slurp Shop. With the mentorship of Seedco and a dedicated management team, Josh developed competitive culinary and leadership skills. Now a line cook at Ivan Ramen’s sit-down restaurant, Josh has developed a promising career path, become debt-free, established credit, and increased his salary by 40% in less than 18 months.”Learn More
On June 12, New York City’s OneCity Health Innovation Fund awarded $699,450 to the Bridging Access to Benefits and Care (BABC) program. This new initiative is led by Acacia Network, with three core partners: Seedco, St. Ann’s Corner of Harm Reduction (SACHR) and MDRC. Funding for BABC will address social determinants of health for the most vulnerable and disenfranchised opioid dependent population in the Bronx through outreach, engagement, enrollment in public benefits and linkages to care. Seedco’s focus will be increasing enrollments in public benefits using our EarnBenefits Online technology. BABC builds on Acacia and Seedco’s Bronx Health and Benefits Initiative, funded through the Bronx Partners for Healthy Communities Innovation Fund, to integrate EarnBenefits Online into Acacia’s federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). Learn More
In April, the Human Services Council (HSC) released a report from the Commission on Value-Based Care, titled “Integrating Health and Human Services: A Blueprint for Partnership and Action.” Seedco’s Executive Director Tara Colton was a member of the Commission, which was led by the Vice Chair of Seedco’s Board, Lilliam Barrios-Paoli.Learn More
Seedco ‘Youth Advancing in the Workplace’ Model Guides Launch of New CareerLift Initiative in NYC
January 16, 2018Seedco is thrilled to help launch CareerLift, a pilot that aims to grow targeted opportunities for formerly out-of-school and out-of-work young adults to help them stay employed and advance in their careers. CareerLift is led by the City of New York’s Center for Youth Employment, in partnership with Social Finance and JobsFirstNYC. Seedco and Madison Strategies Group are implementing the program. CareerLift draws from and builds upon proven local and national models, including Seedco’s Youth Advancing in the Workplace (YAW) program, which we have operated in NYC since 2014, with a focus on the food sector. With support from The Pinkerton Foundation and The Rockefeller Foundation, this project will evaluate the feasibility of a “Pay for Success” model, in which employers assume the cost of job retention services only if proven successful — a first-of-its-kind funding model in the U.S. for employment retention services.Learn More
Seedco Launches New Approach to Engage and Serve Low-Income Fathers and Their Children
November 26, 2017Seedco’s Strong Fathers, Stronger Families program is implementing the Building Bridges and Bonds (B3) study, a partnership with MDRC, and the Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Using a randomized control trial (RCT) design, B3 is designed to test innovative and evidence-informed approaches about the most effective ways to engage fathers and help them become increasingly self-sufficient and responsible parents. MDRC recently released an introductory brief about the B3 study.Learn More