Dalio Education Awards $2.5M Workforce Development Grant

Dalio Education has awarded New Haven nonprofit Manufacturing and Community Technical Hub—or MATCH—a five-year, $2.5 million grant.

The funding is designed to support MATCH’s workforce development programs, which include skills-based manufacturing training and support services.

Based in the city’s Fair Haven section, the public-private partnership was launched in 2023 to address employment barriers faced by people in underserved communities.

Dalio Education was founded by the Dalio family and much of its philanthropic efforts over the past decade have focused on issues faced by young Connecticut residents.

In 2024, the organization released a comprehensive report showing that one in five Connecticut 14-26-year-olds are at-risk or disconnected from education and employment.

Last year, Dalio Education donated $5.1 million to Nuvance Health to support workforce development and career education for disconnected youth.

‘Important Investment’

“We are excited to make this important investment,” said Dalio Education founder and CEO Barbara Dalio.

“MATCH is training young people for fulfilling careers in manufacturing, an industry that provides good jobs—jobs that pay well and provide good benefits—for thousands of Connecticut residents.

“These young people have enormous potential. Like everyone else, they have hopes, dreams and aspirations. What they need is a chance.”

“These young people have enormous potential. What they need is a chance.”

Barbara Dalio

MATCH board chair and co-founder Marcia LaFemina said the organization was “excited for the possibilities this partnership can bring to New Haven youth.”

“The MATCH board of directors extends our sincere appreciation to Dalio Education for their generous and meaningful investment in our work and for embracing our shared vision,” she said.

“Their leadership recognizes both the urgency and the promise of engaging disconnected youth, and they have seized the opportunity to use manufacturing as a powerful vehicle for dignity, belonging, skill-building and economic mobility.

“Together, we are creating real pathways to strong careers and stronger communities.”