Tech Foundry Awarded $2.35 Million from Ceres Foundation

SPRINGFIELD — Tech Foundry, the regional leader in IT workforce development and training, was recently awarded multi-year grants totaling $2.35 million from the Ceres Foundation, the largest award in Tech Foundry’s history. While some of the funding will cover general operating expenses, the majority of the grant money will be used to enhance the organization’s data systems and fund stipends for alumni and students of Tech Foundry’s IT workforce training program, which was recently renamed Tech Launch.

Research indicates that stipend programs for workforce training focusing on underrepresented people can have significant and measurable positive impact on participants, resulting in increased graduation and job placement rates and persistence in accessing living-wage jobs. Through this program, students and alumni in good standing from the 2023-29 cohorts will be eligible for stipends based on program and milestone completion. Details about the program can be found at www.thetechfoundry.org/stipend.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Ceres Foundation and humbled by their faith in our mission,” Tech Foundry CEO Tricia Canavan said. “As an organization, we have been seeking a way to fund stipends for our students since the program’s inception. This initiative is a game changer for those seeking alternative pathways for career growth. It is our hope that the stipends funded by Ceres will allow individuals, who were previously unable to join our programs, the means to invest in their futures.

“In addition, the operational dollars awarded by Ceres will catalyze the priorities of our new, three-year strategic plan, which is focused on growth and serving more people and communities,” she added. “Funding for new data systems will allow Tech Foundry to better track and analyze our programs, making real-time strategy adjustments and evaluating longitudinal impact, which will improve outcomes for those we serve.”

Tech Foundry is currently accepting applications for its spring 2026 cohort, which begins on Feb. 9 and will run for 18 weeks. The deadline to apply is Jan. 16. For more information, visit www.thetechfoundry.org/cohort-application.