NEW YORK, NY — May 28, 2026 — The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) today announced a $200,000 grant renewal from the NFL’s Inspire Change social justice initiative. This renewed investment will continue to support CEO’s Emerging Leaders Program (ELP), an advanced training initiative designed to provide economic mobility and career pathways for individuals returning home from incarceration.
The announcement coincides with a major milestone for the NFL, as its Inspire Change initiative has officially surpassed half a billion dollars in social justice funding nationwide since its launch in 2017. CEO is one of nine national nonprofit organizations to receive a grant renewal approved by the league’s Player-Owner Social Justice Committee.
“Through Inspire Change, the NFL family is committed to supporting organizations that strengthen communities by creating greater access to opportunity,” said Anna Isaacson, SVP of Social Responsibility for the NFL. “CEO’s work reflects the power of investing in people and helping remove barriers so more individuals can build stable futures and reach their full potential. We’re proud to continue this partnership and support efforts that create lasting impact.”
With this renewed funding, CEO will continue to expand the reach and impact of ELP by serving 40 justice-impacted participants annually across multiple cohorts. Inspire Change’s investment made it possible for CEO to extend the paid on-the-job apprenticeship component of the program from 12 to 16 weeks—an enhancement that proved critical to participant success. The additional four weeks gave participants more time to build confidence in professional workplace settings, deepen hands-on experience, strengthen job-readiness skills, and complete industry-recognized credentials that position them for long-term careers in the social and human services sectors.
To ensure long-term career success, the program targets rigorous milestones for its participants. The grant will support a cohort model where 100% of participants earn at least one industry-recognized credential to increase their market competitiveness, with a goal of at least 70% of graduates securing full-time, unsubsidized employment at starting wages above $20 per hour. To bridge the gap to long-term workforce attachment, CEO will also deepen its local employer networks to build direct hiring pipelines and provide up to one year of post-placement job retention services.
"Advanced training programs like our Emerging Leaders Program open doors to quality careers that have too often been out of reach," said Sam Schaeffer, Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Employment Opportunities. "By combining a paid internship with industry credentials and a direct pipeline to living-wage jobs, this grant provides the exact kind of responsive investment necessary for individuals to achieve true economic mobility. When we partner with institutional leaders like the NFL to break down systemic barriers, we ensure leaders with lived experience have the tools to build stable, self-sufficient futures and strengthen the entire reentry ecosystem."
Through this continued partnership, ELP will continue to provide immediate income, build specialized professional skills, and connect participants to sustainable career pathways, ensuring that individuals returning home can thrive.
For more information about CEO’s programs or to get involved as an employer partner, please visit ceoworks.org.
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The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) provides immediate, effective, and comprehensive employment services exclusively for those recently released from incarceration. CEO currently operates in over 30 cities and is dedicated to ensuring that justice-impacted job seekers have opportunities to achieve social and economic mobility. For more information, please visit https://ceoworks.org.