MERIT AMERICA
Programs
Program 1 [2020]
MISSION AND HISTORY:MERIT AMERICA RECEIVED ITS 501C3 DESIGNATION IN 2019 TO HELP IMPROVE AMERICANS' EDUCATION, CAREERS AND LIVES, WITH A FOCUS ON IMPROVING ECONOMIC MOBILITY IN AMERICA BY ADDRESSING THE SPECIFIC CHALLENGES FACING LOW-WAGE WORKERS. THE ORGANIZATION PROVIDES A SCALABLE, SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION TO HELP PREPARE THESE WORKERS FOR IN-DEMAND CAREERS BY COMBINING ONLINE LEARNING, INTENSIVE PROFESSIONAL COACHING, AND PEER SUPPORT. THE ORGANIZATION USES LABOR MARKET DATA AND EMPLOYER PARTNERSHIPS TO SELECT IN-DEMAND FIELDS WITH MEANINGFUL UPWARD MOBILITY, AND OFFERS LEARNING TRACKS IN THOSE FIELDS. DURING 2019, MERIT AMERICA PREPARED TO CONDUCT ALL OPERATIONS INDEPENDENT OF THE ORGANIZATION'S ORIGINAL FISCAL SPONSOR, AMERICA ACHIEVES. IN JANUARY 2020, MERIT AMERICA SPUN OUT FROM AMERICA ACHIEVES AND NO LONGER HAD A FISCAL SPONSOR. MERIT AMERICA EXPANDED ITS PROGRAMS TO PREPARE MORE AMERICANS FOR IN-DEMAND CAREERS, SECURED PARTNERSHIPS WITH MAJOR EMPLOYERS TO INTERVIEW AND HIRE PROGRAM GRADUATES, AND CONTINUED TO BUILD A TECH-ENABLED PLATFORM TO SUPPORT AND IMPROVE PROGRAMMING.DURING 2020, THE ORGANIZATION'S PROGRAMS SERVED GROUPS OF TALENTED, AMBITIOUS LOW-WAGE WORKERS. IN 2020, MERIT AMERICA MOVED ALL OF ITS PROGRAMS TO A FULLY VIRTUAL DELIVERY MODEL, AND LAUNCHED COHORTS REACHING OVER 300 INDIVIDUALS - MORE THAN DOUBLE THE PRIOR YEAR - WHILE BUILDING THE FOUNDATION TO REACH 10,000+ LEARNERS ANNUALLY WITHIN THE COMING YEARS. MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION IS A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF MERIT AMERICA'S WORK AND ONE OF THE ORGANIZATION'S TOP PRIORITIES. THE ORGANIZATION USES MULTIPLE DATA SOURCES TO TRACK AND VERIFY IMPACT OVER TIME ON KEY MEASURES OF SHORT AND LONG-TERM ECONOMIC STABILITY, SUCH AS WAGE GAINS, GRADUATION RATES, AND MODULE PLACEMENT RATES. MERIT AMERICA RECEIVED SIGNIFICANT FUNDING FROM CORPORATIONS, COMPANIES, FOUNDATIONS, AND INDIVIDUALS, AS WELL AS SECURED IMPACT FINANCING TO HELP COVER UPFRONT COSTS NEEDED TO LAUNCH COHORTS AND UNLOCK LEARNER AND PLACEMENT REVENUE STREAMS.IT IS MERIT AMERICA'S GOAL TO BE THE SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION THAT BUILDS A NEW PATHWAY FOR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF LOW-INCOME FAMILIES TO MOVE INTO THE MIDDLE-CLASS AND BEYOND.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2020Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$3MCareer Development Pathways
MERIT AMERICA IS A NATIONAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT NONPROFIT DEDICATED TO CREATING PATHWAYS TO FAMILY-SUSTAINING CAREERS FOR AMERICANS WHO ARE STUCK IN LOW-WAGE WORK. THROUGH FAST AND FLEXIBLE SOLUTIONS, MERIT AMERICA EMPOWERS WORKING ADULTS BY PROVIDING THEM WITH THE SKILLS AND SUPPORT NECESSARY TO PURSUE IN-DEMAND, HIGH-PAYING CAREERS. THE ORGANIZATION COLLABORATES WITH INDUSTRY PARTNERS AND EMPLOYERS TO ENSURE SUCCESSFUL PLACEMENTS INTO UPWARDLY MOBILE CAREERS. BY THE END OF THE YEAR 2025, MERIT AMERICA SEEKS TO DRIVE $1 BILLION IN PROJECTED CUMULATIVE WAGE GAINS, CONNECTING TALENTED LEARNERS TO IN-DEMAND CAREER PATHS AT SCALE.IN 2022, MERIT AMERICA MADE TREMENDOUS PROGRESS TOWARD ITS ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS. THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION PRACTICES, MERIT AMERICA COLLECTS DATA ON VARIOUS METRICS TO GAUGE THE SUCCESS OF ITS PROGRAM. THIS INCLUDES TRACKING LEARNERS SERVED, COMPLETION RATES, CAREER PLACEMENTS, AVERAGE WAGE GAINS, AND OTHER RELEVANT METRICS TO VERIFY THE PROGRAM'S ONGOING SUCCESS. THE FOLLOWING IS AN OVERVIEW OF MERIT AMERICA'S 2022 PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS, SHOWCASING ITS GROWTH, IMPACT, AND COMMITMENT TO ITS MISSION.MERIT AMERICA HAS EXPERIENCED SUBSTANTIAL GROWTH IN THE NUMBER OF LEARNERS SERVED. IN 2022, THE ORGANIZATION AIMED TO LAUNCH COHORTS WITH 2,500 LEARNERS, DOUBLING THE PREVIOUS YEAR'S REACH. HOWEVER, THIS GOAL WAS SURPASSED WITH A TOTAL OF 3,600 LEARNERS SERVED IN 2022, REPRESENTING THREEFOLD ANNUAL GROWTH AND REACHING 146% OF THE TARGET.A THIRD-PARTY ANALYSIS CONDUCTED IN 2022 BY DR. BEN CASTLEMAN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA (UVA) FOUND THAT MERIT AMERICA ALUMNI EXPERIENCED AN AVERAGE ANNUAL WAGE GAIN OF $18.7K THREE OR MORE MONTHS AFTER COMPLETING THE PROGRAM. IN ADDITION, MORE THAN 80% OF ALUMS REPORTED POSITIVE WAGE GAINS AT LEAST THREE MONTHS AFTER COMPLETION, FROM AN AVERAGE PRE-PROGRAM SALARY OF $24K TO AN AVERAGE POST-PROGRAM SALARY OF $50K PER YEAR, A $26K AVERAGE WAGE GAIN. THESE FINDINGS VALIDATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MERIT AMERICA'S APPROACH IN PROVIDING SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC MOBILITY.USING THE METHODOLOGY DEVELOPED BY UVA & BRIDGESPAN, MERIT AMERICA ESTIMATES APPROXIMATELY $340 MILLION IN PROJECTED CUMULATIVE WAGE GAINS FOR LEARNERS SERVED THROUGH 2022. THIS ACHIEVEMENT SURPASSES EXPECTATIONS, POSITIONING THE ORGANIZATION AHEAD OF SCHEDULE TOWARD ITS GOAL OF DRIVING $1 BILLION IN PROJECTED CUMULATIVE WAGE GAINS BY THE END OF 2025.FINANCIALLY, MERIT AMERICA SECURED $17.85 MILLION IN PHILANTHROPIC FUNDING IN 2022, $2.85M MORE THAN 2020 & 2021 COMBINED. NOTABLY, THE ORGANIZATION ALSO BECAME THE INAUGURAL PARTNER OF THE GOOGLE CAREER CERTIFICATES FUND, A $100 MILLION INITIATIVE LAUNCHED IN COLLABORATION WITH GOOGLE CEO SUNDAR PICHAI. THIS PARTNERSHIP STRENGTHENS MERIT AMERICA'S SUSTAINABILITY, ENABLES THE PROGRAM TO SCALE TO SERVE MANY MORE LEARNERS, AND AFFIRMS THE RECOGNITION OF ITS IMPACTFUL WORK.ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH HAS ALSO BEEN A SIGNIFICANT HIGHLIGHT FOR MERIT AMERICA IN 2022. WITH THE EXPANSION OF THE TEAM FROM 75 TO NEARLY 200 EMPLOYEES, THE ORGANIZATION IS WELL-EQUIPPED TO CONTINUE SCALING OPERATIONS. IN ALIGNMENT WITH ITS MISSION, MERIT AMERICA PRIORITIZES DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVITY WITHIN THE WORKFORCE, WITH 80% OF THE STAFF AND 70% OF THE EXECUTIVE TEAM IDENTIFYING AS BIPOC, LGBTQ, OR FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE ATTENDEES BY THE CLOSE OF 2022. THIS DEDICATION HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED THROUGH ITS 2022 CERTIFICATION AS A "GREAT PLACE TO WORK," WITH 97% OF EMPLOYEES INDICATING HIGH LEVELS OF SATISFACTION.MERIT AMERICA'S 2022 PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS REFLECT THE ORGANIZATION'S COMMITMENT TO CREATING SCALABLE PATHWAYS FOR WORKERS STUCK IN LOW-WAGE JOBS TO ACCESS FAMILY-SUSTAINING CAREERS. THE ORGANIZATION'S SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS IN SERVING A GROWING NUMBER OF LEARNERS, GENERATING SUBSTANTIAL WAGE GAINS, SECURING PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT, AND FOSTERING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVITY WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION ARE INDICATIVE OF ITS IMPACTFUL WORK. AS MERIT AMERICA CONTINUES TO WORK TOWARDS ITS MISSION, THE ORGANIZATION IS WELL-POSITIONED TO SURPASS ITS GOAL OF DRIVING $1 BILLION IN CUMULATIVE WAGE GAINS TO MAKE A LASTING IMPACT ON ECONOMIC MOBILITY FOR WORKING ADULTS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJan 1, 2022 – Dec 31, 2022Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$20.3M
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