JANUARY 15, 2026

Goodman Philanthropies Awards $1,800,000 Grant to Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) Boston to Launch New Program, English 2 Employment

Boston, MA — Goodman Philanthropies is pleased to announce a $1.8 million, three-year grant to Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) Boston to support the design, implementation, and launch of English 2 Employment, a first-of-its-kind model that fundamentally rethinks how English language learning and workforce training work together. It is designed to integrate English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) instruction with best-in-class workforce training and career advancement.

JVS Boston’s new English 2 Employment model represents the nation’s first comprehensive effort to bring together high-quality English language acquisition and workforce development into a single, coherent model—one designed to help immigrant workers move more quickly and sustainably into jobs, advance in their careers, and increase long-term earning potential. Historically, ESOL programs and workforce training programs have operated in parallel, despite serving the same population and pursuing the same end goal: economic opportunity. English 2 Employment integrates these systems into a unified approach that aligns language acquisition directly with employment, advancement, and career growth.

Through the English 2 Employment, JVS Boston will build a structured pathway that supports immigrant learners as they progress from early employment to better jobs and ultimately to higher-quality, higher-wage careers—removing one of the most persistent barriers facing immigrant workers in the U.S. labor market. “We are building a model that integrates language acquisition with career growth—one with the potential to change outcomes at scale and to serve as a blueprint for communities across the country.” said Kira Khazatsky, President & CEO of JVS Boston.

About JVS Boston

Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) Boston is a national leader in workforce development, adult education, and career advancement. Since 1938, JVS has helped individuals—particularly immigrants, English language learners, and others facing barriers to employment—gain skills, access training, and secure jobs that lead to economic stability and mobility. JVS’s mission is to empower individuals from diverse communities to find employment and build careers, while partnering with employers to hire, develop, and retain productive workforces. JVS Boston provides a wide range of programs and services and is widely recognized for its innovation in combining education, career coaching, and employer partnerships to produce strong labor-market outcomes.

Goodman Philanthropies’ grant supports JVS Boston at a critical moment, as public funding streams for immigrant-serving programs are increasingly fragmented or at risk. This investment enables JVS to design a bold, future-focused model with the potential to influence systems well beyond Greater Boston.

Why did Goodman Philanthropies invest?

There are an estimated 14 million U.S. workers ages 25+ who have limited English proficiency—and a disproportionate share of the country’s lowest earners. Strong ESOL instruction is one of the highest ROI workforce interventions. JVS Boston’s original English for Advancement model, has demonstrated what is possible when English instruction is paired with career advancement. Validated in a randomized controlled trial, their model demonstrated +$3,505 total sustained earnings impact over 2 years and faster progression into better jobs. The new English 2 Employment model builds on this evidence base, bringing together the strongest elements of ESOL instruction and workforce training into a single, scalable model.

About Goodman Philanthropies

Goodman Philanthropies supports innovative, evidence-based solutions that expand economic mobility across the United States. We prioritize approaches that combine rigor, innovation, and scale to move the needle on poverty and opportunity. Our work is generously funded by Bennett & Meg Goodman, who are committed to dismantling barriers to upward mobility through strategic, impact-driven philanthropy. This grant reflects Goodman Philanthropies’ commitment to design, pilot, scale career education and training programs and policies that lead to family-sustaining wages and cultivate career pathways and wage growth over time. By investing in English 2 Employment, Goodman Philanthropies seeks to demonstrate how English language learning can function as a core workforce and economic mobility strategy—one that delivers measurable outcomes for workers and employers alike. JVS Boston’s English 2 Employment has the potential to inform public funding approaches, influence workforce policy, and be replicated regionally and statewide, helping more immigrant workers access opportunity and thrive. 

To learn more about our work and our portfolio of grants, visit www.goodmanphilanthropies.org.