Skilled to Build: Developing the Future Manufacturing Workforce
Funding Amount
$50,000 per grant
Deadline
Deadline not published
Grant Type
Foundation
Overview
Geographic Scope: Illinois
Focus Areas:
- Workforce development and upskilling
- English Language Acquisition training
- Micro-apprenticeships
- Manufacturing career pathways
Award Details:
- Eight grants awarded in 2023 round
- $50,000 per grant (with potential for matching funds)
- Example: Waubonsee Community College received $50,000 and matched with additional $50,000 for total project budget of $100,000
Eligibility: Community colleges and educational institutions partnering with manufacturers
Project Focus:
The grant funds innovative solutions for today's manufacturing sector, including:
- Developing workplace literacy models for non-native English-speaking employees
- On-site English Language Acquisition instruction contextualized to specific manufacturing processes and procedures
- Micro-apprenticeships providing paid work experience to individuals with limited work history
- Introduction to manufacturing career opportunities
- Temporary employee placement funded through grant at no cost to employer partners
Partner Organization: Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC)
What Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center actually gave
Source: IRS Form 990, 2025
- Grants in 2025
- 4
- Total given
- $6.24M
- Median grant
- $1.29M
- Range
- $483K–$3.18M
- By dollars: Illinois 100%. Top recipient cities: Chicago, IL; Dekalb, IL; Carbondale, IL.
Example grants
University of Illinois-Chicago · Chicago, IL
Client Services
$3.18M
Northern Illinois University · Dekalb, IL
Client Services
$1.62M
Southern Illinois University · Carbondale, IL
Client Services
$954K
Bradley University · Peoria, IL
Client Services
$483K
Focus Areas & Funding Uses
Fields of Work
- Workforce development
- Education
- STEM education
- Immigration
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