Partnership Grant to Ridge House Helped Nicholas Blaze Career Path

Ridge House is a statewide organization that provides comprehensive re-entry services for former offenders in Nevada. Ridge House has facilities for both women and men re-entering the community.  Specialized services provide homeless veterans coming out of prison with the tools they need to get their freedom back. In 2015, the Ridge House was awarded a $15,000 matching grant from the Community Foundation's annual competitive grant program, Partnership Grants. Ridge House was able to match the full amount by reaching out to private foundations familiar with the Community Foundation. Ridge House staff found that the Community Foundation name and matching grant opportunity served as an excellent reference. "Not only did the challenge grants give us leverage, but it provided us with legitimacy."

It is our great pleasure to share the Ridge House's success story with you that originated because the Partnership Grant boosted their donor pool and contributions for 2015: "Nicholas was incarcerated at a Nevada Department of Corrections prison for a year and a half before participating in the Ridge House re-entry program. With the Community Foundation's grant, Ridge House staff helped Nicholas secure appropriate interview clothing, helped him write a resume, took him to job interviews and coached him on how to answer honestly questions about his past behavior. Nicholas was offered a job at a Goodwill Store, starting out part-time at $7.25 an hour. Through the support and encouragement of the Ridge House staff, Nicholas now wanted to have a career and life free of substance abuse. Nicholas enrolled in classes and earned his HVAC Certification; and is now working full-time with a starting wage of $13 an hour plus full benefits." The Ridge House has been identified nationally as a model re-entry program.