Damian Thorman, Knight Foundation’s national program director, is the incoming chair of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions.

I’m in Washington today, where the National Fund for Workforce Solutions is receiving $7.7 million from the White House’s’new Social Innovation Fund.

The grant will allow the workforce fund, a Knight grantee, ‘ and its partner Jobs for the Future – to help at least 23,000 additional people in 24 communities, while addressing the needs of more than 1,000 employers.

The investment also recognizes the fund’s innovative ‘ and effective ‘ approach to preparing America’s workers for the jobs our economy demands. ‘The fund works by linking local businesses with employees and workforce experts. Together, they determine the kind of training needed to fill existing, higher-skilled, jobs. ‘That’s the key: allowing local wisdom to drive’local solutions.

The grant is’further recognition that the workforce fund is making headway when our country needs it most.

Two other Knight Foundation grantees, LISC and New Profit, Inc., also received funding.

It’s an honor to receive a grant from the Social Innovation Fund, created by Congress just last year to help successful non-profits replicate their approaches to addressing critical challenges.