The HOPE Program

What The HOPE Program does

The HOPE Program is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit workforce development organization founded in 1985 in Brooklyn, New York, that provides free job training, transitional employment, and lifelong career support to low-income New Yorkers facing significant employment barriers, including justice-involved individuals, BIPOC communities (representing ~90% of participants), and people experiencing housing instability. Its core program portfolio spans HOPE*works (general workforce preparation), FOOD*works and GROCERYworks (sector-specific food and retail training), NYC CoolRoofs (transitional employment applying reflective roof coatings to reduce building energy use), Intervine (horticulture, green infrastructure, and solar installation training for at-risk youth and the formerly incarcerated), and SmartRoofs LLC (a social enterprise providing paid green jobs to graduates). Operations were expanded to the Bronx through the 2015 strategic merger with Sustainable South Bronx.

The organization's revenue is generated entirely outside of participant fees. It draws on a diversified mix of foundation grants (Citi Foundation $500K, Bank of America $200K, Macquarie $20K, Ponce De Leon Foundation), large government and quasi-government awards (Manhattan District Attorney's Criminal Justice Investment Initiative $1.87M, NYPA $750K), annual fundraising events (40th Anniversary Gala raised $880K in 2025), individual donations, and earned income from the SmartRoofs social enterprise. Participants pay nothing; pricing model is "Other" / fully subsidized. Go-to-market is community-led: outreach occurs via direct enrollment, social service agency referrals, government workforce programs, and graduate alumni referrals, with employer partnerships (food industry, green sector) serving as the placement channel.

The HOPE Program serves approximately 900 New Yorkers per year and, in FY'25, reported an 85% program completion rate, $19.2M in collective graduate wages, and 400+ green interventions across NYC. The organization employs 101-250 staff across its Brooklyn headquarters and Bronx office and is governed by a Board of Directors under current Chair Alix Oliver (since July 2025) and Executive Director Tracey Capers (since October 2023).

Name

The HOPE Program

Legal name

The HOPE Program

Website

https://thehopeprogram.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The HOPE Program is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1985 that delivers free job training, transitional employment, and lifelong career support to approximately 900 low-income New Yorkers annually across Brooklyn and the Bronx, with a growing focus on green economy careers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243), Educational Support Services (6117), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Help Supply Services (7363)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits (BPAGADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Employment & Job Readiness Support Services (BPAGAEAJ), Dislocated Worker & Rapid Response / Reemployment Programs (EDAAAOAF), Workforce & Career Transition Noncredit Programs (EDAAAEAC), Special Education Vocational & Transition Programs (18–22) (EDAKAAAG)

Keywords

• Workforce development programs
• Job training services
• Green jobs training
• Career placement support
• Transitional employment programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Corporate Grants: The organization receives significant funding from foundations like Robin Hood Foundation, Citi Foundation Community Progress Makers Fund ($500,000), Macquarie Group Foundation fellowships, and Bank of America Neighborhood Builder Award ($200,000). These grants support general operations, specific programs, and organizational growth.
2. Government Funding: Federal, state, and city government grants including Criminal Justice Investment Initiative from Manhattan DA's Office ($1.8 million), NYPA clean energy workforce development funding ($750,000), NYC Department of Small Business Services partnerships, and Assembly grants.
3. Fundraising Events: Annual fundraising events including the signature gala (raised $880,000 in 2025), Humor for HOPE comedy event (raised over $160,000 in 2025, $205,000 in 2026), Haunted Hustle 5K (raised over $51,000), and A Taste of HOPE food event.
4. Social Enterprise Revenue: Revenue generated through social enterprise operations including SmartRoofs LLC which provides transitional employment opportunities and income through green roof maintenance and landscaping services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The HOPE Program provides free workforce development training, job placement, and lifelong career support to low-income New Yorkers through programs including HOPE*works, FOOD*works, and GROCERYworks, combined with transitional employment and green jobs programs such as NYC CoolRoofs, Intervine, and SmartRoofs LLC. Services span job readiness training, industry-specific skills development, vocational counseling, and ongoing graduate support.

Product overview

The HOPE Program offers a portfolio of workforce development programs designed to help New Yorkers build sustainable careers. The core offerings include HOPE*works (general workforce preparation), FOOD*works (food industry training), and GROCERYworks (retail training). The organization also operates NYC CoolRoofs as a transitional employment program and SmartRoofs, LLC as a social enterprise that creates green jobs for graduates. The programs work together to provide comprehensive training, job placement, and lifelong career support services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HOPE*works: Training program preparing students for diverse positions such as clerical, animal care, maintenance, social services and others, providing ability to explore career paths and develop variety of job skills
• FOOD*works
• GROCERYworks
• NYC CoolRoofs
• Intervine
• SmartRoofs
• Humor for HOPE
• A Taste of HOPE

Products and services

• HOPE*works General workforce preparation program that trains students for diverse positions such as clerical, animal care, maintenance, social services, and other career paths, developing a variety of job skills. Free to eligible New Yorkers facing employment barriers.
• FOOD*works Sector-specific training program for the food and hospitality industry, launched in 2010, providing contextualized training for careers in the growing food industry.
• GROCERYworks Sector-specific program preparing students for careers in the New York City food/retail industry, extending job preparedness courses into the retail sector.
• NYC CoolRoofs Transitional employment program in partnership with NYC Department of Small Business Services where participants paint reflective roof coatings on buildings throughout NYC to increase energy efficiency and reduce urban heat island effect. Participants earn income while gaining green infrastructure skills.
• SmartRoofs, LLC Environmental social enterprise enabling graduates of green jobs training to earn income through contracts maintaining green roofs, performing landscaping services, and conducting environmental projects throughout the city.
• Intervine Program providing soft and hard-skills training and transitional paid job opportunities focused on horticultural, green infrastructure installation and maintenance, and solar photovoltaic installation services for at-risk youth and formerly incarcerated individuals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% program completion rate in FY'25
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sustainable South Bronx (SSBx)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 October 2015Strategic merger in 2015 that combined HOPE's comprehensive workforce development model with SSBx's green jobs expertise. Expanded geographic reach from Brooklyn to include the Bronx, and enabled growth through SmartRoofs social enterprise. Mitchell serves as Executive Director of combined entity.
• NYC Department of Small Business ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partnership to implement the NYC CoolRoofs program, which provides transitional employment opportunities to job seekers applying reflective roof coatings that increase building energy efficiency.
• Mayor's Office of Climate & Environmental JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver the CoolRoofs program, helping reduce energy costs for NYC buildings while providing green jobs training and transitional employment.
• Rain Gardens Action in Neighborhoods (RAIN) CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition including Bronx River Alliance, Gowanus Canal Conservancy, and Newtown Creek Alliance working together to pilot rain garden projects ensuring success for watershed work throughout NYC, especially in lower-income outer borough neighborhoods.
• The City TutorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to host panel and mentoring events providing career guidance and mentorship from industry professionals for HOPE participants.
• STEM NOLAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create STEM education pathways for the next generation, opening doors for future success while connecting HOPE's mission with broader educational opportunities.
• Food Industry EmployerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEmployers in the food and hospitality industry who hire HOPE graduates from the FOOD*works program, including Neuman's Kitchen and other food partners from A Taste of HOPE events.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Door: NYC-based youth services organization offering workforce development, education, and career support to young adults ages 12-24 — directly comparable on age range, NYC geography, and barriered-population focus.
• Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): NYC-founded reentry employment nonprofit providing transitional work, job coaching, and retention support to formerly incarcerated individuals — most direct comparator to HOPE's justice-involved programs and Intervine.
• STRIVE: NYC-based workforce nonprofit providing job-readiness training, sector-specific skills, and placement to individuals facing barriers to employment — closest geographic and methodological peer to HOPE's HOPE*works and FOOD*works models.
• Henry Street Settlement: Long-running NYC Lower East Side social-services nonprofit providing workforce development among other programs; directly comparable as a multi-decade NYC settlement house serving low-income residents with employment services.
• Per Scholas: National workforce-development nonprofit providing free tech training and job placement to low-income adults — direct overlap with HOPE's mission, target population (low-income, career-barriered adults), and free tuition model.
• Year Up: Workforce-development nonprofit offering training, stipends, and corporate placement to young adults from low-income communities; comparable participant outcomes framework and employer-partnership model, though more nationally focused.
• Project Renewal: NYC nonprofit offering workforce development alongside housing and healthcare for homeless and low-income individuals; highly comparable population, geographic focus, and wraparound service model.
• SEEDCO: National antipoverty nonprofit operating workforce programs and employment initiatives in NYC; comparable focus on career pathways for low-income adults and operating-government-funded workforce contracts.

Regional players

• Brooklyn Community Services: Brooklyn-based multi-service nonprofit offering workforce development, youth services, and behavioral health — directly comparable NYC-Brooklyn service area and employment-program model.

Broad incumbents

• Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey: Much larger regional Goodwill affiliate running workforce programs, retail-based social enterprises, and reentry services across NYC; comparable training-and-placement model but with a far broader portfolio and retail revenue base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheHOPEProgram
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6JkkpjWYjAlZB4AsejMXRQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/The-HOPE-Program/92608503047
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/290525
• Instagraminstagram.com/the_hope_program

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The HOPE Program