Tree Trust YouthBuild Awarded $1.5 Million Grant from U.S. Department of Labor

MINNEAPOLIS, May 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tree Trust, a Minnesota-based nonprofit, today announced they have been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. Tree Trust YouthBuild is one of 68 organizations nationwide to be awarded a grant this cycle and one of four YouthBuild grant recipients in Minnesota.

Tree Trust YouthBuild, a pre-apprenticeship program, offers young people, ages 16-21, the opportunity to gain hands-on training and earn a paycheck, all while working towards earning a high school diploma. Participants alternate between an employment training week at Tree Trust and attending high school. Alongside the carpentry track, where youth construct affordable housing to learn employment skills and transform the community, Tree Trust offers an innovative tree care track introduced in 2019, allowing YouthBuild participants the opportunity to train for jobs in the high demand green industry.

"Our YouthBuild program, serving promising young people in the Twin Cities since 2006, concentrates on high-need areas in Minneapolis, including low-income neighborhoods with low graduation rates. Tree Trust is grateful to receive this significant funding award from the U.S. Department of Labor. This generous grant enables us to continue our crucial work: providing young people with the chance to learn and develop important career and leadership skills, while benefiting the community through participants' involvement in home construction and tree care, bolstering our efforts in assisting participants in reaching their career objectives and academic goals," said Jared Smith, Tree Trust's Executive Director and CEO.

Tree Trust YouthBuild is now accepting participant applications, available online at www.treetrust.org/youthbuild and due by September 29th.

About Tree Trust
Tree Trust, a nonprofit founded in 1976 and based in St. Paul, Minnesota, focuses on transforming lives and landscapes. Tree Trust accomplishes this mission by providing meaningful opportunities for greening local communities through tree planting and offering youth valuable work skills and experience through practical job training, creating a brighter future of self-sufficiency. Learn more at www.treetrust.org.

CONTACT: Jared Smith, CEO & Executive Director 
952-767-3880

SOURCE Tree Trust