CZI Fund to Advance Racial Equity
BSP is proud of its diverse staff and the support of CZI to advance racial equity
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) was founded in 2015 to help solve some of society’s toughest challenges — from eradicating disease and improving education, to addressing the needs of local communities. Their mission is to build a more inclusive, just, and healthy future for everyone.
CZI is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in order to build a more inclusive, just, and healthy future for everyone.
Over the course of 2021, CZI announced an additional 90+ new racial equity grant partners focused on building just and sustainable systems. Among them are movement builders, community leaders and changemakers who have the expertise and the lived experience to drive transformative change.
In December 2021, Building Skills Partnership (BSP) was awarded a $150,000 grant from CZI to support the leadership development and well-being of partners and staff in furtherance of racial equity.
“BSP is proud of its diverse staff and also the diversity in the communities it serves. [We] are grateful to receive this award from CZI to help further the work of BSP programs, aimed to improve the quality of life of property service workers in low-wage industries, as well as their families and communities,” said Luis Sandoval, Executive Director of BSP.
Born out of the “Justice for Janitors” movement, BSP was founded in 2007 as an English language workplace acquisition course; and over the years BSP has broadened its work to address the socio-economic needs of low-income immigrant janitorial service workers. Through its varied programs, BSP puts workers first on key industry investments such as workforce development training, certifications, and career advancement.
BSP was founded with the vision of creating an equitable economy for California's working families so they can achieve their career and educational goals. Through its 13 year history, BSP has served primarily low-income, Latinx immigrants working as janitors in commercial buildings who often live in disadvantaged communities in Mountain View, Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose, Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego.
BSP staff will engage in strategic development initiatives to expand its programs to build just & equitable systems
A component of the CZI award will help BSP on professional development initiatives for its staff members, who are reflective of the diverse communities it serves.
In the coming years, BSP has strategized to expand its workforce development, immigrant integration, and community advancement programs to also serve passenger service workers at LAX, survivors and victims of sexual assault in the workplace, and security workers at large commercial buildings.
Workers from these communities are composed of a diverse demographic including Asian Americans, Black, and other people of color. By extending its programs to serve workers beyond Latinx immigrants, BSP will impact more working families and build just systems that advance racial equity, diversity, and inclusion for all.
Supported by CZI, BSP will converge in 2022 to discuss and implement their strategic work to serve the low-income groups served by their programs. BSP looks forward to expanding its vision for a stable and successful future for immigrant workers and their families!