Catalyze Challenge Grant

The Catalyze Challenge's broad goals are to support the planning, piloting, and implementation of innovative solutions that reimagine and strengthen the ties between educational experiences and career opportunities for young people. Specifically, it targets two main areas for grant support:

1. Career Exploration for Young Adolescents: This theme emphasizes innovations that increase awareness of diverse career paths and help young adolescents develop a sense of self-efficacy in relation to their educational and career aspirations. The goal is to extend the reach of these innovations directly to youth, either independently of schools or through activities that are integrated with, or adjacent to, school education.

2. Activating Employer Partnerships: Under this theme, the focus is on fostering innovations that facilitate meaningful engagement between employers and students. This includes providing students with practical skills and credentials that lead to improved employment outcomes. Proposals should aim to create and enhance partnerships between employers and educational institutions to effectively bridge the gap between learners and the professional world.

Catalyze places a special emphasis on supporting projects that benefit historically underserved groups and those that serve young people who are disconnected from school and work, including those involved with the juvenile justice system, criminal justice system, or foster care system.