Last week on December 1, Chevron announced that five Richmond and West County-based nonprofit organizations had been selected to receive funding from a $1 million grant as part of Chevron’s California Partnership, a new initiative to invest in education and job creation in California.
“For the more than 100 years Chevron has been a part of the Richmond community, we’ve been committed to supporting economic development and job creation in the region,” said Mike Coyle, General Manager of Chevron’s Richmond Refinery. “The nonprofit partners that we’re announcing today share that goal, and have demonstrated their ability to play a positive role in improving the economic self-sufficiency of local families.”
The following nonprofit organizations were selected for their programs offering high-quality vocational education or small-and medium-sized enterprise development programs, and will receive funding from Chevron:
- Catholic Charities – A collaborative job training program that partners with RichmondWORKS and West Contra Costa Adult Education
- Lao Family Community Development, Inc. – A comprehensive pre- and post-placement service to assist with job preparation and retention
- Solar Richmond – An internship program offering experience in solar installation to promote innovative job creation
- The Latina Center – Providing Latina women with personalized training, peer networking and family support services needed to start their own micro-enterprise or small business
- The Stride Center – Career preparation services in the information technology field for Richmond residents to help secure employment in upwardly mobile careers
Chevron is the largest employer and taxpayer in Richmond with approximately 2,700 employees and 850 contractors. The company has invested over $3 million in the Richmond community over the last year and has long supported economic development and job creation in the area.
The California Partnership is a recently-announced Chevron initiative to invest in education and economic development in California by expanding the company’s partnerships with nonprofits. With the California Partnership, Chevron has formed relationships with new nonprofit partners providing programs for education, entrepreneurs and job training for the state’s underserved communities. The California Partnership represents a $7 million enhancement to Chevron’s community engagement investments in the state, bringing Chevron’s total investments in California in 2009 to approximately $28 million.