NKCAC ready to hire project - the northern kentucky community action commission, INC. (NKCAC) will use $796,400 in CED funds in partnership with AVIATRA accelerators (AVIATRA) to implement the ready…

The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families awarded $796,400 to the Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission, Incorporated (NKCAC) on September 30, 2025, under the Community Services Block Grant Discretionary Awards program (CFDA 93.570), Community Economic Development (CED) funding track.

NKCAC will use the award to implement the Ready to Hire (R2H) Initiative in partnership with Aviatra Accelerators, a program designed to create or expand at least ten businesses in Covington and throughout Northern Kentucky. Aviatra will provide business coaching and profitability planning to ensure participating businesses are viable and prepared for workforce expansion. CED funds will support loans to at least ten participating businesses for capital expenses including equipment purchases, capacity additions, and hiring. Boundless Beauty Studio, a mobile beauty services provider and the initiative's first participant, will use its loan to purchase equipment and vehicles for mobile service delivery and procure technology to manage a larger client base; the company will hire employees into newly created positions offering health care, paid time off, predictable scheduling, and career growth opportunities. NKCAC and Aviatra will jointly identify and screen additional businesses to ensure they are viable, growth-oriented, and capable of generating meaningful employment. Both organizations will offer wraparound supportive services to all participating businesses, including childcare assistance, English language classes, behavioral health treatment, transportation assistance, and workforce development services. The project will create 29 new full-time jobs, 22 of which will be filled by individuals with low income. Performance period runs through September 29, 2028, with all work conducted in Kentucky.

NKCAC ready to hire project - the northern kentucky community action commission, INC. (NKCAC) will use $796,400 in CED funds in partnership with AVIATRA accelerators (AVIATRA) to implement the ready to hire (R2H) initiative, a program designed to create or expand at least ten businesses in covington and throughout northern kentucky. NKCAC will partner with AVIATRA, which offers classes, coaching, community and other resources to help entrepreneurs succeed, to recruit small businesses in northern kentucky to participate in the R2H program. AVIATRA will provide business coaching and profitability planning to ensure participating businesses are viable and prepared for workforce. CED funds will be used to provide loans to at least 10 participating businesses for capital expenses like purchasing equipment, adding capacity and hiring. The first participant of the initiative, boundless beaty studio, a mobile beauty services provider, will use the loan to purchase equipment and vehicles to support mobile service delivery and procure the technology needed to manage a larger client base. Boundless beauty will hire employees into newly created positions that offer benefits including health care, paid time off, predictable scheduling, and career growth opportunities. NKCAC and AVIATRA will work together to identify other businesses to participate in the R2H initiative, through outreach and screening to ensure all businesses accepted into the program are viable, growth-oriented, and capable of generating meaningful employment opportunities. For all businesses participating in the initiative, NKCAC and its partner organization will offer a variety of wraparound supportive services, including childcare assistance, english language classes, behavioral health treatment, transportation assistance, and workforce development services. This project will create 29 new, full-time jobs, 22 of which will be filled by individuals with low income.