Hamilton County–Chattanooga to receive up to $10 million to enhance youth career exploration and enrichment opportunities.
Chattanooga is one of only seven communities in the nation selected to join Advancing Opportunities for Adolescents — a new initiative from The Wallace Foundation aimed at improving how schools, nonprofits and local organizations work together to support youth development.
Chosen from more than 1,700 applicants, Chattanooga 2.0 will lead the local effort to strengthen and expand opportunities that help middle and early high school students discover new interests, build skills and explore future careers beyond the classroom.
A Major Investment in Chattanooga’s Youth
The Wallace Foundation anticipates investing $6 million to $10 million in Hamilton County–Chattanooga over the next several years. Exact funding levels will be determined during the initiative’s planning and pilot years (2026–27) based on community factors such as poverty levels and the number of young people served.
In addition to funding, participating communities will benefit from technical assistance, peer learning and research support designed to strengthen youth programs and expand access to enriching, career-connected experiences.
Building on Local Strengths
As the community’s cradle-to-career backbone organization, Chattanooga 2.0 facilitates partnerships across schools, nonprofits, government and business to improve outcomes for children and youth.
Current efforts include:
- The Out-of-School Time Alliance, a network of local partners providing after-school and summer programs.
- Collaboration with Hamilton County Schools to increase student success.
- Viable Pathways to Prosperity, which connects students to thriving-wage career pathways.
“Chattanooga 2.0 is an early adopter of creating supports for young people to navigate their way through challenges and identify opportunities that interest them, working with a dedicated adult,” said Gigi Antoni, vice president of youth development at The Wallace Foundation. “We’re impressed by the partnership’s ability to collaborate across city, county and school system leadership, and we look forward to working with and learning from them.”
What Comes Next
Following a year of vision-setting and planning, Chattanooga 2.0 will focus on several key priorities:
- Expanding collaboration across Hamilton County’s youth development network to increase access for young people furthest from opportunity.
- Strengthening programs and professional development for the adults who support youth, starting with pilot efforts in underserved areas.
- Creating “navigation” systems that pair each young person with a caring adult to co-design a personalized, strengths-based plan for their future.
- Collecting and analyzing data on participation, cost and outcomes to guide continuous improvement.
- Sharing stories and data through a strategic communications plan that builds understanding and long-term support.
- Planning for sustainable funding by identifying public and private sources to maintain programs beyond the life of the initiative.
- Participating in national research, led by the American Institutes for Research, to document the initiative’s impact and share lessons learned nationwide.
A National Network of Innovation
Alongside Chattanooga, other participating communities include:
- Adams County and Broomfield County, Colorado
- Akron, Ohio
- Poughkeepsie, New York
- Monterey County, California
- South Salt Lake City and Millcreek, Utah
- Wayne County, New York
Technical assistance partners for the initiative include Children’s Funding Project, Community Wealth Partners, Every Hour Counts, FrameWorks Institute, The Institute for Success Planning at The EdRedesign Lab at Harvard Graduate School of Education, and The Marlo Companies, among others.
Why It Matters
This opportunity marks a major step toward giving Hamilton County adolescents the guidance, mentorship and experiences they need to thrive. By aligning efforts across education, business and community partners, Chattanooga 2.0 aims to make career exploration not just an option — but a natural part of growing up in Chattanooga.
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