Home » Greater Louisville Foundation receives $500,000 grant to increase job opportunities in region

Greater Louisville Foundation receives $500,000 grant to increase job opportunities in region

To attract and retain talent

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 27, 2016) — Greater Louisville Foundation Inc. has received a $500,000 three-year grant from The Gheens Foundation to fund GROW! (Greater-Louisville Region Optimizing Workforce) to attract and retain talent in Greater Louisville. GROW! is a three-year plan run by Greater Louisville Inc. and the Metro Chamber of Commerce, with funding support of the Greater Louisville Foundation.

GROW!’s central purpose is to materially increase the rate of net migration of talented people to the region and fill the employee pipeline with skilled and educated professionals resulting in a faster job-fill rate, a strong candidate pool, a higher median wage, and an increase in the overall skilled population, thereby allowing Greater Louisville to become a true ‘community of talent’.

Efforts include outreach to cities and universities, a regional branding strategy, brand development with a national marketing campaign, a social media movement, and a community initiative to recruit friends and family (those who could influence relocation decisions to convince targeted talent to move to the area) to act as ambassadors for attraction purposes. GROW! includes specific initiatives around partnerships that help secure career opportunities for veterans and collaborative efforts to attract and retain international professionals.

GROW! will partner with local businesses and organizations on specific strategies to retain the qualified population that presently lives in Greater Louisville. This means nurturing programs that already exist, while developing creative ways to attract and retain professionals, and developing a sense of “loyalty” to and pride for the community.