eBay grant goes to nonprofit to help people train and find jobs

A Twin Cities jobs nonprofit is one of three winners of an eBay Foundation grant, and the only one in the U.S. to receive the award.

The organization trains under-employed and unemployed people for jobs where they earn at least $20,000 a year.

The foundation recognized Twin Cities RISE! for its pay-for-performance model. RISE only receives funding from the state of Minnesota only after trainees stay in the jobs for a year.

Twin Cities RISE! was founded in 1998 following national efforts to reform welfare.

RISE spokeswoman Amy Anderson says the $50,000 eBay grant will be used to convince other nonprofits to operate on a pay for performance basis.

"We just want to share the success that we've had over the past 13 years with pay-for-performance and see what other organizations might be able to do with it as well," Anderson said. "It's really something that seems to be taking off with nonprofits tracking outcomes and seeing what can be done with that."

Nine hundred organizations in 83 countries applied for the grant.

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