Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) announced that the ABC chapters of Indiana, Eastern and Southeast Pennsylvania, and North Texas received a $10,000 Chapter Diversity Initiative Grants from ABC to assist in its efforts to develop a long-term diversity program.

The ABC chapter of Indiana will use its money in a partnership with the United North East Community Development Corporation in Indianapolis to provide community outreach and recruit African Americans for the Major Opportunities/Second Chance program. Participants in the program receive construction-related classroom training and on-the-job experience.

ABC's Eastern Pennsylvania chapter will use its grant for the Ready 4 Work program, a partnership between the chapter and inner city churches that provides construction skills training to "at risk" youth and lower income adults.

The Southeast Pennsylvania chapter will use its grant in a partnership with the National Minority Contractors Association to provide scholarships to minority employees of minority-owned companies.

North Texas will use its money to support the North Texas Contractors Development Alliance's Mentor-Protégé and Contractor Incubator programs. The Mentor-Protégé program provides assistance to emerging construction firms and the Contractor Incubator program offers education and training to minority- and women-owned construction companies.

"It is critical that we reach out across our communities to get people involved in the commercial and industrial construction industry," said Bill Fairchild, 2008 ABC national chairman and president of R.W Murray Co., Manassas, Va. "The grant programs serve as a catalyst to strengthening diversity in the construction workforce."

To be eligible for the diversity grant, chapters satisfied six critical elements in the application process: partnering with local organizations representing minorities or women, maintaining a commitment from leadership, using effective practices, securing additional resources from strategic partners, developing models on effective approaches and measuring results.

Each grant application is reviewed by an independent panel. The funding is intended to cover a 12-month period with quarterly reporting.?