Truist Foundation has provided a $1 million grant to Strive, a national nonprofit, for the establishment of a career training program in Birmingham.
Strive Birmingham has just completed its pilot program, preparing students for careers in nonclinical health care and office operations. It will begin its full cohort in September. Over time, Strive Birmingham expects to serve 100 students annually with onramps to good jobs that lead to family-sustaining careers.
“This funding will have a phenomenal impact on our local economy and the lives of Birmingham residents, especially in the Black community,” said Strive Birmingham Executive Director Quiwintre Frye. “Barriers to mobility have left many of our families disproportionally stuck in the cycle of generational poverty, and many struggle to see a way out.”
In addition to job training and certifications, Strive connects students to secure housing, childcare and transportation. It also offers lifetime services for Strive graduates including alumni support groups and workshops.
“Truist Foundation aims to fulfill Truist’s purpose of inspiring and building better lives and communities, which often begins with helping build pathways to steady employment and financial independence,” said Lynette Bell, president of Truist Foundation. “We believe we can help communities achieve this through increasing access to training, creating professional networks and breaking barriers to employment, especially for those in historically excluded communities, and that is exactly the type of work Strive seeks to do in Birmingham and beyond.”
Strive currently operates in 14 cities across the U.S., with the Birmingham site being its first to open since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Truist Foundation was founded in 2020 by Truist Financial Corp. Truist Bank has locations in 17 states in the U.S., including Alabama.
