Prebys Introduces 2024 Grant Funding to Enhance Career Opportunities for Youth Across San Diego County
Organizations Receiving Part of the $5.89 Million Foster a Thriving San Diego Workforce
Prebys funds 24 grantees as part of a commitment to ensuring San Diego County youth are thriving and actively engaged in their communities
Background
In 2023, The Conrad Prebys Foundation unveiled a strategic plan dedicated to enhancing community well-being by fostering purpose, opportunity, and belonging for every resident. This plan was shaped by over a hundred interviews and an extensive listening tour across the county.
The Foundation invests in visual and performing arts, medical research, health care, and youth success, envisioning a future where San Diego County youth have their basic needs met while pursuing education, training, and career opportunities. The ultimate goal is to equip youth with access to careers that provide self-sustaining wages, financial stability, and social mobility over the next 10 to 20 years. The details of that vision include:
Vision: Support a shared vision for youth that advances their inclusion and purpose.
Opportunity: Offer access to a breadth of opportunities for youth within their communities, including jobs and workforce training, learning, art, and civic engagement.
Well-Being: Ensure our youth are mentally and physically healthier.
The Impact of Internships Revealed Through Data
Learning while working is vital for students to succeed after they complete a degree or receive a credential. Work-based learning experiences help students learn new skills, build networks, and gain clarity on their future goals. Evidence has shown that holding an internship can increase academic performance, confidence in career-planning decisions, employability, and career satisfaction. Holding an internship can also help employers more readily recognize that a job candidate has valuable skills, which often leads to regular employment.
We are thrilled to partner with the Conrad Prebys Foundation to expand our internship program at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI). This generous support will allow us to provide more opportunities for community college students to transition seamlessly into four-year STEM programs. By leveraging JCVI’s science resources and expertise, we will empower our intern candidates with skills and experience needed to excel in the various fields of applied genomics including, human health, infectious diseases, environmental sciences and synthetic biology. This initiative aligns perfectly with the Freire laboratory and JCVI’s shared commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive scientific workforce.
— Marcelo Freire, PhD, J. Craig Venter Institute
Paid internships stand out for their ability to yield significant benefits. Participants of paid internships often receive more job offers and command higher starting salaries compared to their peers in unpaid positions. A 2022 study highlighted that paid interns had a median starting salary of $62,500, significantly higher than the $42,500 reported by unpaid interns, indicating a substantial financial advantage over the course of a career.
About the Youth Workforce Grants
Prebys Foundation issued an open call for proposals in March for organizations to provide paid internships and/or apprenticeships for youth ages 16-26. These internships give young adults the skills and training to be successful in the workplace, grow a current career sector, and allow youth who do not normally have access to paid internships the opportunity to earn and learn while building their social and professional network.
The organizations who are receiving a grant provide internships and/or apprenticeships in high-potential industries that are available and needed in San Diego. These industries include healthcare, the creative workforce, IT, STEM, education, construction, and the environment and are offered in all regions of the county. They serve youth from historically underinvested communities such as refugees, immigrants, justice-impacted, and unhoused.
Each grantee provided information on:
Length of internship or apprenticeship
Wages offered and earning potential
Tracking of long-term outcomes
History in the workforce space
About the Grantees
“Paid internships help students gain essential experience, skills, and professional connections, ultimately bridging the socio-economic gaps that too often leave them behind," said Grant Oliphant, CEO of Prebys Foundation. "We are excited to announce our 2024 ‘Youth Workforce’ grantees, who will expand the availability of internships and apprenticeships in key industries essential to San Diego County’s economy, including healthcare, creative fields, IT, STEM, education, construction, and environmental sectors. Our collective goal is to help more young people find pathways to successful careers and contribute to a brighter future for our community."
The awarded organizations invest in systems, providers, and communities that support San Diego youth, helping them to learn, dream, and achieve their goals. Additionally, they have track records in workforce development and offer internships and apprenticeships in high-potential industries essential for San Diego’s growth. Awarded organizations include:
2024 Prebys Youth Workforce Grantees
Organization Name
Total
A Reason To Survive
$150,000
Balboa Art Conservation Center
$200,000
Black Tech Link
$100,000
California Center for the Arts, Escondido
$200,000
Casa Familiar
$325,000
Cesar Chavez Clubs
$155,000
Climate Science Alliance
$300,000
DISCO RIOT
$150,000
Garden 31
$300,000
Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Auxiliary Organization
$200,000
HomeAid San Diego
$100,000
inewsource
$110,000
Interfaith Community Services
$400,000
J Craig Venter Institute
$300,000
Kitchens for Good
$300,000
La Jolla Institute for Immunology
$300,000
National University
$350,000
Our Genetic Legacy
$200,000
San Diego Regional Fire Foundation
$200,000
Somali Family Service of San Diego
$400,000
The EcoLogik Institute
$275,000
United Domestic Workers Resource Center
$300,000
University of San Diego
$275,000
Urban Restoration Counseling Center
$300,000
Grand Total
$5,890,000
“Creating pathways for all students to participate in internships—regardless of their financial background—will empower them to contribute their talents and ideas while fostering a more inclusive workforce,” said Chris Sichel, Vice President of Programs.
About Prebys Foundation
Prebys Foundation is the largest independent private foundation in San Diego County, a unique tri-national area encompassing communities from San Diego, Tijuana, and the Kumeyaay Nation. The foundation works to create an inclusive, equitable, and dynamic future for all San Diegans. Prebys advances excellence and shared opportunity through investments in groundbreaking institutions, ideas, and people to ensure more people in the region are financially secure, healthy, empowered, and connected. For more information about the Prebys Foundation, visit prebysfdn.org.
