Make A Donation

Thank you for your support. Your donation helps JOTF to eliminate educational and employment barriers for low-wage workers by transforming the systems and policies that create and perpetuate those barriers. Together, we are making a difference.

The Job Opportunities Task Force (JOTF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to develop and advocate policies and programs to increase the skills, job opportunities, and incomes of low-skill, low-income workers and job seekers. We utilize three strategies to achieve our mission: career skills instruction that is combined with support services and job placement, public policy development and advocacy, and research and public education to help develop and promote evidence-based recommendations for positive change. We believe that workforce development can be effectively integrated with economic development to create a Baltimore that is inclusive and provides opportunities for everyone.  

Program Development 

The core of JOTF’s program development work is the operation of the BetterU Construction Training Program. BetterU is a 14-week, 87-hour pre-apprenticeship construction training program in the following trades: carpentry, electrical and plumbing. BetterU has created career pathways for numerous Baltimore City residents. These career pathways include jobs that pay sustainable wages. 

 

Public Policy Advocacy

From the streets of our diverse neighborhoods to the halls of Annapolis, JOTF advocates for public policies that seek to eliminate educational and employment barriers, and increase access to skills, job opportunities and higher wages for working families. From urging increased investment in job skills training, access to paid sick days for over 400,000 low-wage workers in Maryland, eliminating the arrest/conviction question from both college and job applications (Ban the Box), eliminating barriers to occupational licensing,  reducing transportation barriers that make it difficult to obtain and keep a job, and reducing the impact of having a criminal record on the ability of individuals to secure employment, JOTF remains a steadfast advocacy for policies that remove barriers and create employment opportunities for low-wage low-skill workers. 

 

Research and Public Education

JOTF’s research highlights the implications of certain policies and practices on Maryland workers struggling to make ends meet. Our work includes research on the impact of state and federal laws and funding on workforce development, the Baltimore City labor market, and the impact of social and economic changes on the employment prospects of workers and job seekers in Baltimore and the region.  This research is used to educate the public and lawmakers, and shape our legislative agenda. 

         

THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS YOU CAN HELP OUR MISSION

We know that you have many choices when it comes to charitable giving. Investing your dollars in JOTF will benefit Maryland’s low-wage low-skill workers by eliminating barriers and preparing them for a future of stable, sustainable employment. 

 

JOTF Sponsor Partner

Interested in becoming a JOTF Sponsor Partner? Here’s how your sponsorship supports JOTF’s work on behalf of low-wage workers:
  • $30 covers the court filing fee for criminal record expungement in Maryland
  • $100 secures supplies for our expungement community resource clinics
  • $275 provides driver’s education for BetterU participants
  • $300 provides a full, brand new set of industry-approved starter tools for a BetterU graduate
  • $300 provides OSHA/First Aid/CPR/Flagger certification for one (1) BetterU participant
  • $500 could provide a cash bail to an individual through JOTF’s Community Bail Fund
  • $1,000 for emergency legal services support to a Marylander worker criminalized as a result of their poverty
  • $3,500 to sponsor a BetterU Secured Loan*
  • $5,000 provides pretrial wrap-around services, including transportation costs to and from pretrial meetings and court, courtroom attire and lodging where needed to one of our bail fund recipients.
*In an effort to align access to both capital and transportation for our program participants, each BetterU graduate is eligible for a JOTF-secured loan for up to $3,500 that can be used toward a car purchase or housing assistance. The graduate receives financial case management supports to ensure timely loan payments and to increase their financial literacy as they chart their path towards economic stability and security.