The application period for the Catalyze Birmingham Challenge is now closed.
Catalyze Birmingham surfaces and funds innovations serving learners aged 11-22 in the Birmingham, Alabama region that fit one of two themes: career exploration for young adolescents and activating employer partnerships.
Stay tuned for an announcement of the Catalyze Birmingham Challenge winners!
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Challenge Timeline and Details
Birmingham is the first community selected to host a regional version of the national Catalyze Challenge, which has funded 40 innovative career-connected learning models in its first two rounds. Catalyze grantees plan, pilot and implement innovations that provide young people with learning opportunities and pathways into fulfilling careers. Grant applications are open September 25 - November 3, 2023.
Catalyze Birmingham seeks transformative career-connected learning solutions to build a more equitable economy and create opportunities for upward mobility in Central Alabama. Catalyze Birmingham will award grants for novel approaches and early implementations aligned with one of two themes to advance career-connected learning by preparing our young residents to obtain high-quality jobs and embark on fulfilling careers in the Birmingham Region. View the full Catalyze Birmingham Applicant Guide.
Theme One: Career Exploration for Young Adolescents
Innovations that build awareness of, exposure to and experiences around career paths — and that develop self-efficacy regarding educational and career goals. Proposals will share innovations that scale direct reach to youth independently from schools and/or that allow for guided exploration within or adjacent to schools.
Theme Two: Activating Employer Partnerships
Innovations that support young people’s attainment of practical skills, credentials and improved employment outcomes by enabling employers to engage in career-connected learning experiences. Proposals will share innovations that activate employer partnerships and change behaviors of key actors to connect youth with the world of work.
Catalyze Birmingham FAQs
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Some key differences between Catalyze Birmingham and Round Three of the Catalyze Challenge include: 1) Catalyze Birmingham grantees will work directly with learners in the seven counties in and around Birmingham: Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, and Walker counties. Grantees will address in-demand workforce needs in this geographic region. 2) Applicants must commit to serving learners during the 12-24-month grant period. 3) Applicants for theme 2, Activating Employer Partnerships, may apply before forming a partnership with an employer. Grantees are required to form a partnership during the grant period.
View the full Catalyze Birmingham Applicant Guide.
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Yes, Applicants who serve young people in the Birmingham Region may apply to both the Catalyze Challenge and the Catalyze Birmingham Challenge. Applicants, however, may only receive one grant per innovation from any of the family of Catalyze Challenges.
View the full Catalyze Birmingham Applicant Guide.
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The Catalyze Birmingham Challenge seeks to address two key issues in career-connected learning by asking the following questions:
Career Exploration for Young Adolescents: How might we provide tools and experiences that build young people’s agency to explore their unique potential, strengths, and aligned career opportunities?
Activating Employer Partnerships: How might we increase learners’ agency and career readiness by activating employer partnerships that address those employers’ workforce needs?
View the Applicant Guide for more information about each theme.
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The award size will be based on the quality of the proposal and commensurate with the number of students it intends to reach. The national Catalyze Challenge has previously made awards ranging from $50K to $500K based on the quality and size of the proposals received. The first two rounds of Catalyze Birmingham have a combined fundraising goal of $2.5M+.
View the full Catalyze Birmingham Applicant Guide.
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Yes. As part of the review and support process, Catalyze Birmingham will work with promising applicants to make connections with employers who can provide support and potential partnership. Applicants are welcome to reach out directly to Catalyze Birmingham or attend one of the applicant workshops in fall 2023.
Sign up on the Catalyze Birmingham Challenge page for email updates about when these sessions will be held.
View the full Catalyze Birmingham Applicant Guide.
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Catalyze Birmingham will support applicants in the region, regardless of previous grant-writing experience. Free grant-writing workshops for Catalyze applicants will be available in fall 2023.
View the full Catalyze Birmingham Applicant Guide.
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The evaluation criteria are described in detail in the Catalyze Birmingham Applicant Guide. Evaluation teams will be intentionally diverse and inclusive and will be made up of local government officials, funders, employers, community organizations, students, families, and local content experts. We expect to fund early-stage ideas.
