On the Ground LA- Apprenticeship and Business Connections for Young Adults

Youth economic advancement

South LA South Bay

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

Even when our young people earn degrees or certifications, they often remain unemployed or underemployed—competing in a market where their talent is undervalued and DEI efforts are being rolled back. Young Black adults, in particular, face higher rates of job insecurity despite qualification. Many lack access to networks, real work experience, or mentors to help them navigate professional spaces. Simultaneously, small Black-owned businesses—many of which don’t make it past five years—struggle to stay afloat, often missing the resources or support to grow sustainably. “On the Ground LA” understands that these are not isolated problems. They're connected. Our initiative addresses both by creating a pipeline that empowers youth with hands-on experience while also supporting community-based businesses that need workforce support but lack capacity. We're filling a gap that education and policy have yet to meaningfully close.

On the Ground LA is a pilot program launching with a small but powerful cohort of eight young adults (ages 18–26) recruited from South LA and South Bay communities—specifically Leimert Park, Carson, and surrounding neighborhoods. The initiative connects participants with curated, part-time to full-time paid apprenticeships across a network of local Black-owned businesses and nonprofits.
Each participant will receive job readiness training, attend live or recorded professional development courses, and rotate through multiple roles across different businesses—gaining hands-on experience, mentorship, and exposure to career pathways they might not otherwise access. The program also includes a housing and meal stipend to remove basic economic barriers.
While many of our youth are qualified, they face compounding challenges: systemic bias, rising credential inflation, and shrinking DEI hiring pipelines. At the same time, small Black-owned businesses often lack the labor or bandwidth to grow or even sustain operations. We’ve identified six local businesses already committed to the program. This grant will fund our first cohort and build infrastructure to scale the model across LA—offering long-term economic mobility for youth and meaningful support for local businesses.

If “On the Ground LA” is successful, Los Angeles County will become a more equitable, economically vibrant region where Black and Brown youth don’t just survive but lead. Young adults from South LA and South Bay—especially Leimert Park and Carson—will gain real access to industries through paid work, mentorship, and networks that were historically out of reach. Businesses, in turn, will benefit from new talent pipelines, increased labor capacity, and operational support—helping them overcome the 50% failure rate most small businesses face within 5 years (SBA, 2023). The result is a self-sustaining local ecosystem where community wealth is grown and retained. Long term, this initiative has the power to shift how we view workforce development: not as charity or obligation, but as a vehicle for mutual empowerment and lasting change across generations.