Tampa, Florida (December 19, 2017) — Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the nation’s oldest one-to-one youth mentoring organization, has received a transformative $2.725 million grant from the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation that will build a new learning management system, create new training programs, invest in new nationwide technology, and strengthen the capacity of Affiliates.
The $2.725 million grant will be distributed over the next two years. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America will use $1 million of the funding to invest in its new technology for managing mentoring relationships. This new technology will enhance the Big Brothers Big Sisters matching process, strengthen child safety systems, and make local Affiliates more efficient.
The grant from the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation will also allow Big Brothers Big Sisters of America to build a new learning management system and create several crucial new training programs for Affiliate leaders, staff, and volunteers. Through new trainings, Big Brothers Big Sisters will better equip volunteer mentors (Bigs) and staff with skills and knowledge they need to promote character growth and infuse the concepts of social-emotional learning into interactions with their mentees (Littles).
“This grant will truly be transformational for our Network,” says Big Brothers Big Sisters of America President and CEO Pam Iorio. “New technology and specialized training will help our Affiliates grow and serve more children.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America has just released its five-year Strategic Plan, called Bigger Impact 2022, the development of which was also funded by a grant from the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation. The new technology platform and training programs are key parts of the Strategic Plan, which calls for BBBSA to raise $13.175 million for improvements across its network of nearly 300 Affiliates with a goal of growing the total number of children served with greater impact.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Big Brothers Big Sisters provides children facing adversity with strong, enduring, professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. Big Brothers Big Sisters ensures that the children in its program achieve measurable outcomes, including educational success, avoidance of risky behaviors, higher aspirations, greater confidence, and better relationships. This mission has been the cornerstone of the organization’s 113-year history. With nearly 300 affiliates across the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters has served more than 2 million children (“Littles”) in the past 10 years. Learn more at www.bigbrothersbigsisters.org.
