Tiger Foundation currently gives funding consideration to programs in New York City in three main areas: education, job training, and social services/youth development (which includes the support of early childhood (ages 0-3) and family support programs). In addition to the guidelines below, please make sure to read the “What We Look for” section of this website, which outlines several Tiger Foundation evaluation hallmarks that are applied to our consideration of requests in all program areas.

• Education
• Job Training
• Social Services & Youth Development

Forty percent of families living in poverty have a working head of household. The costs of achieving economic self-sufficiency in New York City are such that the simple fact of holding a steady job does not guarantee economic independence. Low-income New Yorkers need good jobs that pay better than the state minimum wage ($7.50 per hour) and provide opportunities for earnings growth and career advancement. By supporting a variety of job training programs with a strong focus not just on placement in jobs but on the supports needed for long-term job retention and career advancement, Tiger seeks to provide opportunities for adults and youth with high barriers to employment, including those:

• With limited education
• With histories of substance abuse, homelessness, and incarceration
• Possessing limited work experience
• Transitioning off of public assistance

Our workforce funding focuses both on the unemployed and the underemployed (including programs which support adults and out-of-school youth), and seeks to leverage and improve on the city’s and state’s sizeable investments in improving employment opportunities.

To be considered all programs must possess the following three elements:

• A focus on job placement (not merely training or job readiness)
• A mandatory tracking and follow-up component for at least one (preferably two) years
• Formal outcomes measurement meeting minimum performance thresholds

We pay special attention to the following:

• Successful recruitment of participants (as demonstrated by fully attended cycles)
• High graduation rates
• High job placement rates
• Long-term retention (at least one year)
• Evaluation of job quality (starting wage, benefits, hours worked)
• Cost per outcome across the measured spectrum (enrollment, graduation, placement, retention)
• Resolution of other client issues (e.g., housing, child care, substance abuse)
• Documented decrease in reliance on transitional benefits
• Documented closing of public assistance cases
• Multiple positive outcomes for youth programs (e.g., full-time employment, part-time employment, GED, college enrollment)
• Wage growth
• Opportunity for advancement