Working Wardrobes helps people overcome barriers to gainful employment by providing individualized career readiness services delivered with dignity and respect. Since 1990, they have empowered more than 142,000 Southern Californians with the resources, confidence, and skills needed to achieve lasting economic stability. Their clients include veterans, justice-impacted individuals, survivors of domestic violence, people experiencing homelessness or food insecurity, and others facing systemic obstacles to employment. With the high cost of living in Orange County, Working Wardrobes defines gainful employment not just as a livable wage, but as safe, equitable, and satisfying work. The Mazda Foundation proudly partners with Working Wardrobes to further this mission and support their efforts to help clients rebuild their careers and take charge of their futures.
Partial Listing of Past and Current Programs
College Track
College Track aims to equip students confronting systemic barriers to earn a bachelor’s degree in pursuit of a life of opportunity, choice, and power. At the core of College Track’s program model is the 10-year commitment they make to each student, from ninth grade through college graduation. College Track’s comprehensive academic, financial, and social-emotional programming systematically removes the barriers to college completion. The Mazda Foundation’s funding supports programming at College Track’s Los Angeles area program centers, located in Watts, Boyle ...
Bracken’s Kitchen
Bracken’s Kitchen, in Garden Grove, CA, is committed to rescuing, repurposing and restoring both food and lives through food rescue, culinary training, and community feeding. The Mazda Foundation’s funding supports Bracken’s Kitchen’s Culinary Training Program, which provides at-risk young adults the introductory skills needed for employment in a professional kitchen. Through hands-on participation in a working kitchen, students learn the skills needed to prepare, cook, and serve actual meals with menus that fluctuate around the organization’s rescued food inventory ...
AVID
AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a nonprofit organization that changes lives by helping schools shift to a more equitable, student-centered approach. AVID’s mission is to close the opportunity gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society. AVID trains 85,000 educators annually so they can prepare all students for college, careers, and life. More than 7,500 schools rely on AVID to transform the lives of more than 2 million students each year. The Mazda ...
FUSE
FUSE is a STEAM education program housed within Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy that facilitates student exploration and learning through hands-on, interest-driven challenges inspired by real-world STEAM and design practices. In FUSE, students work in a studio-like environment, learn through making, and develop 21st century skills such as problem solving, persistence and communication. The Mazda Foundation’s funding established FUSE Studios in 10 elementary schools across Greater Los Angeles and Orange County, CA. The program launched in these ...
Robotics Education and Competition Foundation
The Robotics Education and Competition (REC) Foundation seeks to provide educators with competition, education, and workforce readiness programs to increase student engagement in science, technology, engineering, math, and computer science. The Mazda Foundation provided funding to establish REC’s Factory Automation Competition in the greater Huntsville, Alabama region. This classroom-based competition asks students to design, build, and program a manufacturing workcell. The competition provides students with essential foundational skills needed for today's advanced manufacturing careers. REC will be working with local ...
Vehicles For Change
Vehicles For Change empowers families with financial challenges to achieve economic and personal independence through car ownership and technical training. The Mazda Foundation’s funding supports VFC’s Full Circle Auto Repair and Training program. Full Circle is an employer driven, paid internship, social enterprise program designed to provide auto mechanic training to individuals with multiple barriers to employment, including many who have recently been released from prison ...
Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County
Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, in Orange County, CA, collects food and distributes it to more than 400 local member charities. The Mazda Foundation’s funding helps alleviate hunger and malnutrition among the elderly and children living in poverty via purchases of food, support for the organization’s mobile food pantry, and support of warehouse logistics. Several Irvine-based Mazda employees volunteer their time at Second Harvest ...
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society (ACS) works to improve the lives of people with cancer through research, advocacy and patient support. And, through its partnership with the Mazda Foundation, ACS is expanding access to high quality training for the next generation of oncology professionals. As cancer rates continue to rise and many experienced clinicians and researchers approach retirement, the need for new talent has never been greater. ACS’ Center for Innovation in Cancer Research Training is helping meet that need by ...