"The president is committed to helping Americans access the tools they need to enter the workforce and advance on their career tracks," said Chao. "Small, faith-based and community organizations are in a unique position to work directly with the hardest to serve populations in some of the poorest neighborhoods. They are a trusted source of support for those most in need and are well positioned to connect those constituents with the employment and training resources available at local One-Stop Centers across the country."

Today's grants will allow these small organizations to meet specific needs of particular populations, such as African immigrants, homeless women, youth, Chinese-Americans, economically disadvantaged, migrant and seasonal farm workers and others. In many instances, the grantees will provide supportive services not currently provided through the One-Stop delivery system.

"This is our second round of grants to help small faith-based and community groups in their neighborhood-serving missions. These new grants encourage small organizations to define the point of greatest need in their communities and develop the partnerships and programs that will lead to lasting solutions," said Brent Orrell, the director of the Center for Faith-based and Community Initiatives at the U.S. Department of Labor. "We look forward to supporting the effort, expertise and compassion of faith-based and community charities and helping to build stronger and more self-sufficient families and neighborhoods."

Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco said, "These grants to small, faith-based and community groups will expand the reach of the public workforce system to segments of the population that might not otherwise be served. Leveraging resources of both the public system and local community organizations will close gaps in service and allow quicker achievement of a common goal -- getting more Americans back to work in good jobs at good pay."

The grants to small faith-based and community organizations are awarded for one year.

A list of grantees and the amount of each award is listed below:

SMALL FAITH-BASED AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS

(Awardees, Amount Awarded)

African and American Friendship Association For Cooperation and Development, St. Paul, Minn., $25,000

American Computer Foundation, Waltham, Mass., $25,000

Brand New Beginnings, Inc., Chicago, Ill., $24,757

Chinese Culture & Community Service Center, Inc., Gaithersburg, Md., $25,000

Cornerstone Assembly of God, Hampton, Va., $25,000

Gate City Community, Greensboro, N.C., $25,000

Housing Development Corporation of NW Oregon, Hillsboro, Ore., $22,563

Lydia's Place, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa., $20,000

Schenectady Inner City Ministry, Schenectady, N.Y., $25,000

SOURCES for Community Independent Living Services, Inc., Fayetteville, Ark., $24,653

The Intersection, Inc., Columbia, Mo., $25,000

The Somerville Haitian Coalition, Somerville, Mass., $25,000

Topeka Youth Project, Topeka, Kan., $25,000

Welcome Home Ministries, Oceanside, Calif., $25,000

Worcester East Side CDC, Worcester, Mass. 01610, $25,000

Work Initiative Network "WIN" for St. Tammany, Covington, La., $20,000

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