March 27, 2013

In June of 2011, Amarillo, Texas was selected by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as one of four cities in the U.S. to participate in the Partners for Postsecondary Success Initiative. The goal of the initiative is to double the numbers of low-income young adults who successfully complete postsecondary credentials to obtain living wage employment by the age of 26. To be considered for this initiative, a group of 21 organizations and businesses worked together for 9 months to create a plan that would move Amarillo closer to the stated goal. These partners are now working to implement the plan utilizing $1.3 million in grant funds from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant as well as local funding. The Gates Foundation is also providing $200,000 in coaching assistance to the local partners.

The local partners on this initiative include: Amarillo Area Foundation, Amarillo Chamber of Commerce, Amarillo College, Amarillo Economic Development Corporation, Amarillo Independent School District, BSA Health System, Cal Farley’s, Catholic Family Service, City of Amarillo, Harrington Regional Medical Center, Inc., Leadership Amarillo and Canyon, Northwest Texas Healthcare System, Panhandle Regional Planning Commission, Panhandle Twenty/20, Sage Oil Vac, Texas Health Institute, U.S. Department of Agriculture, United Way of Amarillo and Canyon, West Texas A&M University, Workforce Solutions, and Xcel Energy.

2M Research Services, LLC was selected to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the Partners for Postsecondary Success Initiative on behalf of the Amarillo Area Foundation and its local partners.

For further information, contact:
Marcus Martin, PhD, MPH
CEO, 2M Research Services, LLC

855.328.1611