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The AIM Institute
1902 Howard St. Omaha, NE 68102
www.aiminstitute.org
https://www.facebook.com/AIMInstituteOmaha @AIMInstituteOMA https://www.instagram.com/aiminstituteomaha/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/34490/admin/
Tom McCauley
Fundraising Specialist
tmccauley@aiminstitute.org
+1 (402) 979-8324
Yes
Itzel Lopez, Vice President, Advancement & Community Engagement, 14 years experience in community empowerment, fund development, and strategic partnerships. A recognized and successful leader in South Omaha, Lopez was recently awarded Latina of the Year 2022 by the Metro Young Latino Professionals Association; she also provided valuable input during public discussion of LB1024. She will serve as Project Director and manage partnerships for this effort. Kandace R. Miller, PhD. President/CEO, 40+ years in tech education, economic development and technology development. She will oversee the Omaha Stem Ecosystem partnership and development of the STEM Community Platform. Erin Lasiter, Vice President, Program Operations, 18 years experience in information technology, product development, and program implementation. She will lead program delivery teams to execute, evaluate, and improve the program, including technical education. Marc Ferguson, Consultant, 40+ years experience as a Chief Information Officer. Ferguson will serve as the project manager. This proposal will also deploy specially trained tech career consultants, called Tech Navigators, to assist participants with taking full advantage of the STEM Community Platform and help them craft individualized I.T. career maps to follow. With several years of collective technology sector experience and robust industry connections, AIM’s Tech Navigators are well-qualified to help North and South Omahans begin their tech careers. These Navigators include, but not limited to, the following: Staci Wise, Director, Access Programs. Wise has strong ties to North Omaha having served as a site director for the Urban League and other North Omaha nonprofits. Maggi Thorne, Tech Career Navigator and South Omaha Regional Coordinator. An experienced project manager and TV personality, Thorne will engage with participants to ignite interest in tech. She will also manage educational partnerships with UNO, UNL, Creighton, Iowa Western Community College, Metropolitan Community College, etc. Brett Berkebile, Tech Career Navigator and North Omaha Regional Coordinator, will serve as the lead instructor for all Demystifing Tech Career workshops and will ensure quality instruction and results. Julie Sigmon, Director of the Omaha STEM Ecosystem. Julie has 30+ experience creating collaborative organizations and growing STEM education in Omaha. She will co-lead the SCP efforts.
Led by a President/CEO, AIM is organized into three divisions: Programs, Advancement, and Operations. Each division is led by a Division Leader. The Programs division includes Access Programs, Academies, and Tech Education. Each program is led by at least one director, with program coordinators delivering services. The percent of AIM’s overall expenses devoted to programs is 84%, making AIM a highly efficient organization. The Advancement team is responsible for fundraising, events, conferences, and our Membership program provides services to area employers. Advancement consists of four directors/specialists. The Operations division includes I.T., H.R., Administration, Accounting, and Compliance delivered by full-time operations staff as well as H.R. and accounting consultants.
Through education, career development, and outreach, the nonprofit AIM Institute has fostered the growth of Omaha’s tech sector for more than 30 years. AIM is an essential contributor to economic development in the Omaha area and beyond, developing, growing, and retaining local tech talent that is critical to the success of area companies and entrepreneurs. AIM promotes diversity, equity and inclusion in the tech sector by making outstanding educational opportunities and career training accessible to all, from elementary school through adulthood. The AIM Institute has delivered life-changing tech education and career development opportunities to thousands of individuals and organizations. Our major accomplishments include: tech access and success academy programs that serve underserved and at-risk youth every year; the annual Heartland Developers Conference (HDC); Infotec Conference; and a yearly Tech Awards ceremony that recognizes important contributors to the local tech community. Our impact is undeniable, generating over $190 million for the Greater Omaha economy every year. Post-assessments of our educational programming have consistently indicated that over 75% of participants plan to seek further STEM coursework and career exploration, with over 79% of students coming from populations underrepresented in STEM fields. Our youth-serving programs are on a particularly dramatic growth trajectory, from serving over 4,000 youth in 2019 to over 6,900 in 2021, a 58% increase in two years. Students in our Youth in Tech program consistently score higher in math and science compared to their peers, and just this past year, all seven of our Spring 2022 Code Academy students at Omaha South High School were admitted to the UNO College of Information Science and Technology and are now pursuing computer science degrees. In addition, AIM has successfully launched digital platforms that have provided services to over 25 million job seekers across the country. AIM used that experience and expertise to co-create along with our partner the Omaha STEM Ecosystem another online platform called the STEM Community Platform (SCP). The SCP is an interactive database of local STEM offerings and information about the breadth of STEM careers. AIM has managed federal grants from the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Labor, National Science Foundation, and the National Security Agency. Including multi-year renewals, we have managed 22 federal grants totalling $51.6 million. Currently we have six federal TRiO grants from the U.S. Department of Education. The key personnel involved include seasoned program directors who have managed a number of federal grants each ensuring the successful implementation of services, evaluation, and compliance. AIM is a trusted steward of federal, state, and private foundation grant money. In addition to an annual audit, AIM also conducts internal audits of all grant programs on a quarterly basis. We have a comprehensive system of controls and procedures led by the accounting firm of Avalon Accounting, LLC. In addition, our program directors are actively involved in oversight.
Strengthening and diversifying Omaha’s tech ecosystem
499958.17
499958.17
Service/program
The tech community in the Silicon Prairie suffers from a talent gap, is disconnected, inaccessible, and lacks diversity. Meanwhile, thousands of high-paying jobs go unfilled in the region, while many underrepresented individuals struggle to earn a living. The AIM Institute (AIM) addresses this issue by helping fill the growing need for skilled workers in technology roles by providing training, education, and connections to empower people to enter the tech workforce. Whether through Code School, Youth in Tech, Success Academies, or annual conferences, AIM excites people about technology, inspires them to pursue tech careers, and helps them navigate the tech-career continuum. AIM will focus its programming to serve the North and South Omaha communities, including schools, community organization, the unemployed, businesses, and the public at large through our life-changing, cycle-breaking, career development and tech education. To multiply the impact of these services, as well as all programs in the target areas, AIM will collaborate with the Omaha STEM Ecosystem (OSE) to further develop and disseminate the STEM Community Platform (SCP), a no-cost digital tool that aggregates and centralizes information about local STEM offerings, from free tech education and career planning to general STEM info. The platform demystifies STEM sectors and redresses the historical siloing of information that has long excluded underserved communities. To ensure widespread adoption, AIM will conduct a series of public workshops at partner organizations, including Goodwill Training Centers and Heartland Workforce Solutions, to teach community members how to use the platform. AIM will co-locate these workshops with Demystifying Tech Careers workshops, which delineate the five areas of tech (coding, design, data, operations and support) and help participants assess how their own strengths and interests align with tech career paths. Workshops incorporate specially trained I.T. career coaches (Tech Navigators) working one-on-one with participants to map out a career plan, and connecting them to local opportunities to begin the journey. Thanks to AIM’s strong partnerships with the local nonprofit community, Tech Navigators can also connect participants to any wraparound services they may need in order to pursue technical education, such as public transportation passes and childcare stipends if necessary.
Here is a tentative timeline of this proposal, subject to change as needed. June 2023 - Award Notification June 15, 2023 - Meet with all partners to establish roles, set targets, and governance structure of the project. June 15, 2023 - Establish all accounting and compliance protocols. July 15, 2023 - Staff and board training. July 15, 2023 - Create and implement data management tools. June - Aug 2023 and 2024 - Conduct a series of “discovery sessions” with key constituents in the target areas. August - Plan and hire instructors and service providers. October 2023 and 2024, March 2024 and 2025 - Advanced Training classes August 21, 2023 - Start services in North and South Omaha July 1, 2023 - Identify firm to design and develop enhancements to increase usability and improve user experience of the STEM Community Platform July 15, 2022 - Determine site needs. Design begins. September 15, 2023 - Wireframes delivered. October 1, 2023 - Wireframes, system design approved or rejected. October 15, 2023 - Begin development. December 1, 2023 - Development completed, reviewed. December 15, 2023 - Final approval. January 1, 2024 - Launch new site. Distribute media release. January 15, 2024 - Begin public trainings at partner organizations in North and South Omaha on how to use the STEM Community Platform as an education & career navigation tool January 15, 2024 - July 1, 2025 - Hold regular public workshops at partner organizations in North and South Omaha. Monthly - Performance reporting to AIM and OSE’s board of directors Quarterly - Evaluation of program services and providers, staff
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Long-Lasting Economic Growth (i.e., a proposal that will foster gainful employment opportunities and financial investment in the area, leading to the creation of generational wealth and widespread economic vitality in North and South Omaha)
Other Infrastructure (i.e., develop or improve broadband, business districts, roadways, sewer, etc.) Sustainable Community (i.e., create or enhance housing, services, education, civic uses, recreation, etc.)
A strong, equitable, and inclusive tech workforce will enhance the sustainability of the Omaha community in multiple ways. It will fill the ongoing tech jobs gap with homegrown I.T. talent, encourage innovation via inclusion of identities and perspectives, and produce positive economic ripple effects through the increased earning power of each person who pursues a career in technology. Accomplishing this vision requires lowering barriers to tech education for historically excluded populations, including BIPOC, Latinx, women, LGBTQIA+ and low-income individuals. This proposal seeks to fund a redesign of the STEM Community Platform to increase its utility, along with no-cost public workshops designed to teach community members how to use the platform. Workshops will be delivered at partner organizations in North and South Omaha along with AIM’s Demystifying Tech Careers course. Workshops will incorporate AIM’s tech career planning service, leveraging specially trained Tech Navigators to help participants identify which area(s) of tech they are likely to succeed in according to their unique personality profile; Tech Navigators will also help participants chart a personalized educational and tech career trajectory to follow. Ultimately, AIM will use the STEM Community Platform to help leverage AIM’s programming in North and South Omaha to effect transformational change.
The proposal directly aligns with the Visioning Workshop Summary findings, particularly as related to Section 6 - Demographics and Workforce. The proposal addresses the community-identified need for stronger, low-cost educational opportunities; high-wage employment; and an environment that encourages talent retention by providing equitable tech education access and free H3 career training opportunities to underserved North and South Omahans. Dismantling structural barriers to equitable tech education access responds to the needs identified in the LB1024 visioning workshops by enhancing and leveraging the community’s powerful resources to yield lasting economic growth for all.
The proposal aligns with LB1024’s strategic priority to foster long-lasting economic growth, gainful employment opportunities, and financial investment in the area, leading to the creation of generational wealth and widespread economic vitality in North and South Omaha. A consistent theme of the Visioning Workshop was the perceived lack of access and tools to leverage community resources. The STEM Community Platform (SCP) centralizes all things STEM, from code school programs to no-cost tech education to family-friendly tech experiences and more. AIM will leverage its programming in North and South Omaha with the improved STEM Community Platform along with public workshops on how to utilize this powerful free resource. This will help dismantle barriers to information access, increase equitable knowledge sharing, and help ignite curiosity toward STEM. By lowering the barrier to entry through coordinated and increased information-sharing regarding H3 careers, the SCP will help redress the historical siloing of information. Moreover, because AIM works closely with community partners to identify and advocate for internships and job opportunities on behalf of participants, connecting with underrepresented individuals by way of the SCP will provide a necessary boost to underserved Nebraskans who wish to enter the tech workforce.
As technology grows ubiquitous in people’s personal and professional lives, the need for skilled tech professionals follows suit. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, for instance, estimates an 18% growth of the federal I.T. workforce by 2030, significantly higher than the 8% average for all other occupations. This need is particularly evident in Omaha, with its rich telecommunications infrastructure, multi-sector economy, and growing number of startups. Bridging the tech talent gap here will reverse the estimated $102 million negative economic impact resulting from Greater Omaha’s ongoing shortage of 10,000 tech workers; bridging that gap with highly skilled workers from underserved, historically excluded, and economically disadvantaged populations will improve the quality-of-life for individuals and their families, as the average annual salary of a tech job in Omaha is $89,940, or 31% higher than the Nebraska median annual household income of $61,439.
This project will benefit the community in several ways. Diversifying the tech sector will help companies achieve innovation through increased representation of divergent identities—a growing body of research has shown that diverse teams outperform homogeneous teams thanks to an enhanced pool of perspectives from which to synthesize ideas. Therefore, cultivating a supply of highly skilled tech workers to fill vacant positions will encourage companies to invest and reinvest in our community for years to come. Additionally, ensuring access to tech education and career development resources for members of underrepresented communities in North and South Omaha will provide an ideal environment for underserved Omahans to break the cycle of poverty by entering an H3 tech career path. Finally, with LB1024 set to spur development of the urban core and attract new businesses into the Qualified Census Tracts, the need for all types of tech professionals will grow; supporting AIM will allow the community to support these new businesses as they create their customer base. The aforementioned advantages, however, may only come to pass if educators manage to capture the imaginations of youth during critical interest-forming ages. That is why the cycle-breaking efforts of AIM are so vital to a healthy future of our community. Our multifaceted educational and career development offerings serve as a one-stop shop for all things tech, provide valuable information and opportunities regarding STEM career paths, and ignite the curiosity of youth who face a future where technology grows ever more integral to daily life.
Given the benefits of a job in technology on both the economy and the citizenry, the cultivation of a stronger, more diverse, inclusive, and equitable tech workforce presents a novel long-term solution to longstanding problems. Companies in cities with a robust supply of H3 professionals are less likely to disinvest in those cities as their workforce needs are met. Highly skilled citizens in cities with an opportunity-rich job market are less likely to move out of state in search of better prospects, diminishing the specter of “brain drain” that has long troubled the state of Nebraska. Ensuring access to tech education and tech career resources for the most vulnerable members of our community will expedite the growth of a sustainable local technology workforce.
This proposal capitalizes on the emerging best practice of the tech ecosystem model, which posits that an interoperable network of local technology stakeholders can help increase employment rates, access to investment capital, tax revenue, tourism income, cultural exchange, improved living standards, innovation, idea-sharing while decreasing brain drain and economic disinvestment. The local technology stakeholders involved in the STEM Community Platform span the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
AIM will measure the success of our programming via the following metrics. 1: Number of individuals served 2: Number of at-risk, underserved, and/or historically excluded individuals served. 3: Percentage of participants who increase their tech skills. 4: Percentage of participants who improve their personal development skills (e.g., goal-setting, career assessment, scholarship applications, FAFSA, etc.) 5: Percentage of participants who report satisfaction with the program. 6: Percentage of participants indicate interest in pursuing a tech program of study and/or tech career. We have determined the following goals for this proposal: 1: 6,283 individuals served 2: 75% of individuals served are at-risk, underserved, and/or historically excluded. 3: 84% of participants increase their tech skills. 4: 84% of participants improve their personal development skills. 5: 87% of participants report satisfaction with the program. 6: 71% of participants indicate interest in pursuing a tech program of study and/or tech career.
These outcomes can be measured through pre- and post-assessments, such as the Student Attitudes Toward STEM Survey (SATSS), which AIM administers to program participants to gauge programmatic success.
Yes
AIM is a key partner in the Omaha STEM Ecosystem (OSE), a consortium of over 800 local STEM stakeholders. In collaboration with AIM, OSE members—including the Henry Doorly Zoo, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and a variety of community-based organizations, educators, and service providers—continually contribute information about local STEM opportunities and events to the STEM Community Platform, while AIM provides technical upkeep of the platform.
We have an MOU with the Omaha STEM Ecosystem, as well as our training providers and training partners.
No
AIM’s programs and services take place across the Greater Omaha area, particularly in South Omaha (Omaha South and Bryan High Schools) and North Omaha (Benson High and Monroe Middle School). We also offer programming at the WCA in Eastern Omaha, the Goodwill Training Center in North Omaha, and Heartland Workforce Solutions in North Omaha; when the new Goodwill Training Center and Heartland Workforce Solutions sites open in South Omaha next year, we will provide services in those locations as well.
Within one or more QCTs
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
Please see attached budget called "AIM Institute LB1024 budget.pdf"
LB1024 grant funds will support enhancements to the STEM Community Platform that improve usability and user experience; a series of North and South Omaha-based public trainings on how to use the platform; and no-cost workshops that are designed to demystify tech careers and help constituents identify which of the five key areas of tech they might excel in (i.e., coding, design, data, operations, and support).
Yes
Proposal activities will be sustained through a portfolio of charitable foundation investment, state and federal government grants, corporate sponsorship, and event revenue.
Without LB1024 funding, necessary usability and design updates to the STEM Community Platform cannot take place, nor can the regularly scheduled public trainings on its youth.
AIM can commit up to 20% of the total project cost to the proposal. In-kind contributions will include the salaries of AIM’s management team and program directors, program advertising, space, infrastructure, and hosting of the STEM Community Platform.
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Organizational Chart Proposal Budget/Sources and Uses