Building Community
& Creating Solutions
for Women in Need
A Community-Based Nonprofit Organization
Who is The
NYCE Network?
We are a community-based nonprofit headquartered in the Chicagoland area who is committed to designing programs to inspire women to become professionals and business leaders in their community. Not only do we inspire women to navigate barriers while achieving solutions, we connect our participants to resources that accelerate their income, growth potential, education, and socio-economic standing.
A Mission to
Empower Women
Our mission is to help inner city, low-income, and minority women receive a second chance in life through workforce development, technical assistance, and positive career outcomes. We help make connections that matter and deliver real-world results. The NYCE Network is not just another nonprofit. We are a nonprofit hyper-focused on economic vitality, community development, and relationship building. Through our initiative, “Project 1000”, we are committed to ensuring at least 1000 women achieve economic vitality and financial stability by 2022.
How We Serve
Technical
Assistance
We help build organizational capacity for residents, families, and nonprofits in need of support services. The NYCE Network delivers strategic planning, employment advisement, volunteer management, workshop development, financial resources and more to help you build and acquire new skills to ensure you and/or your program are able to thrive and succeed.
Workforce
Development
By joining the NYCE Network you have access to pre-employment and on-the-job training (OJT), customized skills-based training and education programs, continuing education, untapped labor pools, relationship building for at-risk groups, job placement, and connections to a host of employments eager to invest in human capital.
Violence
Prevention
Our commitment to the welfare and empowerment of women runs deep. We’ve dedicated part of our platform towards the prevention of community and domestic violence. We provide community-based resources such as: pro-bono legal aid, collaborations with social justice organizations, community organizing, and survivor-centered advocacy.
Community Events
Welcome to the PJs
This panel discussion and workshop is designed exclusively for Chicago’s very-own, Innovations High School students and focuses on “soft skills” that employers see as employable skills. From credit report to managing finances to preparing for the workforce to life insurance, we are teaching our youth how to thrive, not just survive.
Event Sponsors:
The NYCE Network for Women
The Circle Foundation
Premier Child Care Centers
Choices & Consequences
Toys for Kids
Community-Based
Fundraiser
To support families in need on the South and West Sides of Chicago, we led the charge to host our inaugural “Toys for Kids” community-based fundraiser.
NYCE worked collaboratively with several community-based organizations to ensure Christmas 2020 was one to remember. Thank you to our partners: Premier Childcare Centers, comprised of West Austin Development Center, headquartered on Chicago’s West Side and Pill Hill Development Center, on Chicago’s South Side; and Child Care Advocates United (CCAU), an organization comprised of 1,100 daycare center owners and childcare providers.
ABCDE Support Model
Affordability
We provide affordable solutions to promote ownership, stability, and community restoration at no cost to you.
Barrier Elimination
We eliminate barrier to entry by providing a host of support, technical, and professional services to help offset expenses and costs.
Credit Building
We educate and empower women to build creditworthiness and financial stability to create more economic opportunities.
Divorce & Legal Support
We provide pro-bono legal representation and assistance to help women in abusive relationships empower and find independence.
Employment
We deliver pre-employment training, networks of opportunity, and career resources to promote new career paths for women in need.
“When we invest in women and girls, we are investing in the people who invest in everyone else.”
— Melinda Gates, American Philanthropist, Billionaire
4 Pillars of Empowerment
Community Restoration
We restore communities in need by creating an ecosystem of support to repair, restore, and revitalize neighborhoods from the inside out.
Self-Reliance
& Independence
Through our network, we help women gain ownership and independence. We inspire women to achieve financial freedom and stability.
Connecting
Resources
The NYCE Network delivers a competitive advantage by being your advocate. We connect you to resources that deliver positive results.
Creating
Solutions
We work proactively to anticipate your needs and to highlight your abilities. Instead of focusing on problems, we promote solutions.
“I believe in female empowerment. As a father of 6 girls, I founded this nonprofit to help give women and girls a chance to thrive and excel. As an advocate for women, I utilize my connections to inspire more women to establish themselves as business leaders.”
— Charles Edwards, Founder, President, Advocate
Meet Our Founder
Mr. Charles Edwards
President, Advocate
Charles is a native New Yorker, leading change and social innovation in Chicago and beyond. He has over 25 years of experience working in government and public affairs and has a wide range of contacts and experiences to help clients achieve their goals. Business owners and leaders around the country rely on his expertise to find a clear path through complex issues. He created The NYCE Network to pay homage to his mother and grandmother who inspired him to invest in our future’s greatest asset, our women. Having witnessed women in his family and neighborhood suffering from domestic violence and financial instability, he vowed to create a nonprofit to change the narrative and to help raise up the next generation of female leaders.
Leading Social
Innovation
We give back through a variety of methods. From providing grant awards to subrecipients (smaller, capable nonprofits) to developing novel methods to address social issues not clearly compatible with existing government funding programs, we do it all, and we do it for the community.
Subrecipient Grants
As a leading social innovation organization, we manifest social change by investing in groups who align with our mission and values. We make capital investments in smaller nonprofits to help them achieve their fundraising, program, and strategic goals, while connecting them to our network to drive growth potential. Discover Chicago 300 Black Women, a nonprofit we stand behind and honor for their commitment to lead and serve.
Policy Innovation
Simply put, we go to bat for the community. We are your greatest advocate. Our connections to community and political leaders means your voice gets heard. We deliver an innovative approach that transcends the status quo. We communicate with funders the purpose, reasoning, and evidence of why and how our petition, proposals, and responses work.
Sister Supporters
Our Community Partners
We collaborate with like-minded nonprofit organizations who have a passion for the people and a purpose to serve. From providing our participants with access to pro-bono legal services to childcare assistance to improving health disparities to empowering women of color, we have the network to drive success and solutions.
Become a Supporter
We are always looking to partner with like-minded organizations. As we continue to build “The NYCE Network” we are connecting with community-based organizations (CBOs) in need of technical assistance, funding opportunities, and more. Let’s make an impact on the community together. Join the movement!
Donate Today
As a 501(C)(3) certified nonprofit, we are constantly working to support communities in need. Your generous in-kind donation helps support more causes like our Annual Toy Drive and future community-based events that truly make a difference in the lives of others. Join us in making a direct and lasting impact!