Press Release

As Young People Continue To Struggle In The Wake Of The Pandemic, Senator Gillibrand Announces $105 Million Investment In Youthbuild Funding For Job Training And Educational Opportunities For At-Risk Youth

Jan 25, 2023

This Year’s YouthBuild Grant Application Closes on February 7, 2023; Senator Gillibrand Helped Seven New York Organizations Receive Approximately $9 Million In YouthBuild Funding In 2022

Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a video press conference to announce $105 million in federal funding she helped secure to support YouthBuild, an organization dedicated to job training and educational opportunities for at-risk youth aged 16-24. As young people struggle to find opportunity and make up for lost school time developing critical educational and social skills, this federal investment will help close these gaps and prepare American youth for careers in high-demand industries. This year’s YouthBuild grant application closes on February 7, 2023. Please follow this link to complete your application. Senator Gillibrand’s staff is happy to work with constituents interested in YouthBuild funding to provide more information about the program and assist in the process. If you need more assistance, please email grants@gillibrand.senate.gov.

“YouthBuild has a proven track record of preparing youth throughout New York State with the skills and mentorship necessary to get good jobs and achieve their full potential,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This forward-thinking funding will provide at-risk youth with opportunities to receive skills training and learn critical vocational skills, and it is needed now more than ever as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. I am proud to lead efforts to fund the YouthBuild program and I hope this announcement helps get the word out so more New Yorkers apply for the next round of funding by February 7th.”

Senator Gillibrand helped seven New York organizations receive approximately $9 million in YouthBuild funding in 2022.

  1. Nubian Directions II, Inc., Poughkeepsie: $1,100,000 for training in construction and manufacturing.
  2. Queens Community House, Inc., Jamaica/Queens: $1,259,199 for training in the construction and information technology sectors
  3. St. Nicks Alliance, Brooklyn: $1,500,000 for a construction training program and a health care job readiness program.
  4. New Settlement Apartments (aka The Crenulated Company, Ltd.), Manhattan: $1,500,000 for training programs in tconstruction, health care, hospitality, and customer service.
  5. The Service Collaborative of Western New York, Inc., Buffalo: $1,500,000 for partnerships with SUNY Erie and Catholic Charities of Buffalo for a curriculum to provide training in construction, hospitality, and advanced manufacturing.
  6. Ulster YouthBuild, LLC., Kingston: $1,069,258 for a public-private partnership for credentials in the construction and manufacturing sectors.
  7. Urban League of Rochester, N.Y., Inc., Rochester: $1,100,000 for training in construction and advanced manufacturing.

Senator Gillibrand is a long-term advocate for YouthBuild and successfully pushes for federal funding yearly. In July of 2021, Senators Schumer and Gillibrand announced over $5 million in funding for youth development programs in NYS. The previous month, Gillibrand visited East Harlem where YouthBuild began over 40 years ago and led her colleagues in calling for increasing the funding for YouthBuild in Fiscal Year 2022. In 2020, she led a bipartisan push securing $96,534,000 in funds for YouthBuild during Fiscal Year 2021.

The YouthBuild evidence-based model helps participants earn their high school diploma or equivalent and teaches job skills through community service, including building affordable housing for homeless and low-income people in their communities. Immediately following the program, roughly 50% of all enrollees are successfully placed in either employment or postsecondary education.