CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Chicago’s Cara Collective, a nonprofit that provides job training and workforce development, said an $8 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott will keep it going for another 30 years.
Cara Collective learned about the gift a few weeks ago, but Chief External Affairs Officer Tara Harper said they came up with a spending plan before announcing it.
“We certainly did not want to be that lotto winner who wins money and then one year later is filing for bankruptcy,” she said.
The nonprofit plans to expand on their workforce training, certification and support services for people who might have struggled with homelessness, addiction or have a criminal record.
Harper said the gift shows how much people need help finding a job.
“We know that the job is not done here in Chicago,” she said. “We know that there are so many neighborhoods that are experiencing significant unemployment rates.”
Even after someone lands a job, Harper said Cara Collective provides individualized coaching for one year. She said the challenges that might lead someone to the nonprofit in the first place don’t always disappear with “that first job or even that first paycheck.”
The collective also wants to make changes to the other end of the hiring process.
“Working with companies to think about their hiring practices, to think about their policies and their background checks and their degree requirements,” she said.
Cara Collective helps about 1,000 people get jobs each year.
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