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Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation Announces $2 Million in New Grants

MEAF's grants help promote accessibility and tech careers, supporting projects such as Aspiritech Academy and other inclusive training programs.
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Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation awards $2 million in new grants to empower youth with disabilities to access careers in technology and trades.

PRESS RELEASE: WASHINGTON, DC – April 30, 2024 

Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) announced today $2 million in new grants, and $615K in continuing projects. The funding supports MEAF’s new Access to Careers in Technology and the Trades Inclusion Initiative, which is designed to empower youth with disabilities to lead productive lives through increased employment.

“Our Access to Careers in Technology and the Trades Inclusion Initiative builds off the success we have seen this past year in collaborating with our grant recipients and industry associations in replicating model disability employment programs to create a pipeline of skilled talent to access careers in high demand fields,” says Kevin R. Webb, MEAF’s senior director.

Careers in Technology

In collaboration with the Consumer Technology Association Foundation, MEAF is helping to promote accessibility and tech careers at CES®—and throughout the year, supporting projects like::

  • FIRST® Access: To introduce inclusive programming for all students into FIRST competitions.
  • Exceptional Minds Growth Initiative: To prepare artists on the autism spectrum at Exceptional Minds for career pathways towards entertainment and related industry jobs across digital arts, animation, visual effects, gaming, and other fields.
  • Aspiritech Remote Employment Academy: To provide training and internships leading to careers in Accessibility, IT, and Quality Assurance testing for neurodiverse individuals at Aspiritech.
  • NSITE IT Program Expansion: To help blind and visually impaired individuals access training at NSITE and go on to careers in Information Technology.

Careers in the Trades

In support of the Association for Career and Technical Education and its Inclusion, Access, Equity, and Diversity Initiative, MEAF is helping to build a pipeline of Career Tech Talent in fields like:

  • Advanced Manufacturing: Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs, the foundation of the Fabricators and Manufacturer’s Association, offers Inclusive Summer Camps to introduce students to careers in manufacturing. FedCap’s Teaching the Autism Community Trades (TACT) trains and places students as heat pump installers, electricians, welders, carpenters, and mechanics. The Uniquely Abled Project is establishing Uniquely Abled Academies at trade schools and community colleges to train and place autistic students in jobs as Computer Numerical Control (CNC) and Robotics Operators. CAST is introducing students with disabilities to careers in biomanufacturing.
  • Electronics and Plastics Recycling and Beyond: Blue Star Recyclers is sharing its successful disability employment model by creating Counties of Inclusion, bringing together schools, service providers, employers, and chambers of commerce in counties to create a pipeline of capable talent.
  • Hospitality, Healthcare, Microenterprise, and More: Butler Tech’s Project LIFETM program and Celebrate EDU’s microenterprise training introduce students with intellectual and development disabilities to career opportunities in a variety of fields. Cincinnati Children’s Project SEARCH internship program provides total workplace immersion and job-skills acquisition leading to competitive employment. MEAF’s support will help more than 36,000 Project SEARCH alumni advance in their careers.

Access to Opportunity

Access to careers in technology and the trades starts from a strong foundation of quality experiential education and awareness. MEAF helps build access and awareness by supporting:

“This is the first year MEAF’s annual grant making has exceeded $2 million. We are excited to see the growth of disability employment to support a more inclusive society,” concludes Webb.

MEAF’s $2.6 million in grant commitments to 24 organizations will be distributed over the next two years. MEAF will also match up to $320,000 in donations made by employees in 2024 to help build inclusive and sustainable communities in the United States.

The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, based in the Washington, D.C. area, was established in 1991 by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and the Mitsubishi Electric U.S. group companies, which produce, sell, and distribute a wide range of consumer, industrial, commercial, and professional electronics products. The Foundation has contributed more than $26 million to organizations that are empowering young people with disabilities to lead more inclusive and productive lives. To learn more, visit www.MEAF.org.

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