FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LEAD TRAINING AWARDED $300K IN GRANTS FROM
THE STATE OF OHIO & PNC CHARITABLE TRUST
Funding Will Support LEAD’s Medical Pathways Partnership and High School Workforce Initiative
CINCINNATI, OH – July 8, 2026 – LEAD Training, a growing Cincinnati-based nonprofit that helps primary and secondary students build life and career skills, has received $ 250,000 in grant funding from the Ohio Department of Development and the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation’s Industry Sector Partnership Grant Program (ISP) to expand its successful Medical Pathways Partnership with 23 high schools in 4 Ohio counties. LEAD is one of only fifteen Ohio organizations to receive ISP funding. Additionally, LEAD has been awarded $50,000 from PNC Charitable Trust for service expansion of its successful High School Workforce Initiative (HSWI).
“The funding and vote of confidence from PNC Charitable Trust and the Ohio ISP will have a dramatic impact on Ohio workforce development and on the number of students that we will be able to create a real, meaningful difference for,” noted Riley O’Grady, Founder and Executive Director, LEAD Training. “There’s so much uncertainty for young people in our region around their career paths – we work to provide them with experiences like internships, job shadowing and pre-apprenticeships to help them decide on career pathways that they are interested in, passionate about,”, she continued.
With the support of the PNC Charitable Trust, LEAD will launch a Career Quest aspect of its existing HSWI initiative, providing underrepresented and economically disadvantaged high school students with one-to-one career coaching, employability skills training, recognized certifications, job placement and post-secondary education support from LEAD Training career coaches. The program will serve a total of 7,000 students during the 2026-27 school year at 28 schools in Warren, Butler, Hamilton, Brown, including Cincinnati Public Schools.
The Ohio Department of Development and the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation’s Industry Sector Partnership Grant Program (ISP) funding is focused on strengthening partnership that help prepare Ohioans for the workforce, while meeting the needs of job creators and local economies. LEAD Training’s mission squarely fits this focus with its extensive industry sector partnerships and high school partnerships throughout Greater Cincinnati. LEAD is one of only fifteen organizations to receive funding in 2026. The ISP funding will allow LEAD to significantly expand its current geographic footprint, and specifically its established Medical Pathways Partnership that includes key partners Mercy Health, Premier Health, UC Health, The Christ Hospital, TriHealth, Otterbein Senior Life & Twin Lakes, among others, with emphasis on entry-level and early-career pathways to aid in alleviating ongoing high-demand workforce challenges in the healthcare sector. LEAD’s measurement includes introducing 2,000 students a year for the next 2years to healthcare careers, placing over 100 students in paid internships annually and converting at least 60% of internships into full-time healthcare employment.
About LEAD Training
LEAD Training is a Cincinnati-based nonprofit organization that helps students from kindergarten through young adulthood build the skills they need to succeed in life and career. LEAD designs and delivers impactful programs centered on career readiness, life skills and social-emotional learning (SEL) by instilling confidence and helping to create a clearer vision for their future. Through innovative programming such as its High School Workforce Initiative where 2,500 students participated and customized SEL modules and career coaching, LEAD works to guide students towards viable post-secondary paths, whether traditional college, polytechnic education, career or service. LEAD’s programs achieved measurable results in the 2024-25 school year including 93% of Career Quest seniors graduating with a clear career plan, 91% of High School SEL Future Leaders students reporting growth in their social-emotional skills, and a 96% overall satisfaction rate among students. To learn more about how LEAD fuels futures, schools and workforce development, visit https://www.lead-training.org/.
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