Southern Nevada Workforce Funder Collaborative

Overview and Purpose

Workforce Connections, the Nevada Community Foundation, and JobsFirst are seeking to welcome a select group of visionary funders to develop and launch the Southern Nevada Workforce Funder Collaborative (SNV WFC). This collaborative will serve as the premier co-investment vehicle to fund important workforce initiatives in the region. Examples being JobsFirst Southern Nevada: a permanent, locally-led, 501(c)(3) workforce intermediary designed to scale local partner solutions based on the proven 2 decade JobsFirst model.

By creating a shared pool for investment, as well as sharing knowledge, the collective will foster impact at a systems level. The aim is that the funder collaborative will address persistent workforce barriers as a collective — particularly for opportunity youth (OY) and underserved communities – through a multi-year membership and investment that will focus on strengthening long-term workforce outcomes in the region. Through the launch of this collaborative, we aim to bring together regional philanthropic leadership to drive systemic solutions, attract additional resources, and create more and better economic mobility across Southern Nevada, together.

The Opportunity: Why This Matters Now

The Scale of the Challenge

42,000 young adults (1-in-7) in Clark County are disconnected from school and work, driving long-term regional poverty.

The Opportunity

Reconnecting 22,000 youth by 2030 will unlock nearly $12 billion in local economic growth and save billions in public costs.

Unprecedented Momentum

Initial investments from JobsFirst NYC and the Walter S Johnson Foundation and others have provided the capacity to pilot promising strategies emerging from the Southern Nevada Opportunity Youth Coalition Strategic Action Plan.

Proven Model

In partnership with Workforce Connections, JobsFirst’s national model for creating and advancing solutions that break down barriers and transform the systems supporting young adults and their communities is already being leveraged in Southern Nevada.

Strategic Benefits for Members

As a member of the collaborative, your organization moves from isolated grantmaking to high-leverage, systemic infrastructure building. Specifically, your investment delivers:

Amplified Leverage

Pool funds with regional peers to multiply your local ROI and attract national matching capital.

Mitigated Risk

Distribute financial risk across a trusted co-investment tackling large-scale systems change.

Expert Learning

Gain direct access to specialized regional workforce intelligence and labor market data.

Systemic Legacy

Support the establishment of a permanent regional asset (JobsFirst SNV) for long-term transformation.

Commitment & Governance: What is Required

To achieve a total initial startup target of $1.5 Million over 3 years, we are establishing a tiered membership model that rewards early leadership with strategic influence:

Institutional Support: Funds are managed locally by the Nevada Community Foundation (NCF), ensuring absolute financial stewardship as the fiscal sponsor to support grant administration and compliance. Workforce Connections provides expertise and alignment with public systems, while JobsFirst delivers national technical assistance having co-led the development of the NEPA Workforce Funder Collaborative, launched March 2026.
Financial Contribution: Early funder members commit a minimum investment of $25,000-$100,000+ annually for 3 years. This multi-year horizon provides the stable runway required to stand up the intermediary infrastructure securely.
Strategic Governance: Early funder members have the opportunity to be a founding member of this initiative and shape its development. Founding members will support direct decision-making authority over collaborative development, capital allocation parameters, and regional funding strategies.

Development Roadmap & Next Steps (June 2026 – March 2027)

The updated development roadmap of the Southern Nevada Workforce Funder Collaborative spans from initial collaborative introductions to the formal public launch:

Join us as a founding member to share resources and expertise to build long-term investment in economic mobility solutions for Southern Nevada’s young adults and communities.

Solutions