Media Contacts:
Devyn Giannetti: (216) 225-9813; dgiannetti@cuyahogacounty.us

CUYAHOGA COUNTY, OH – Cuyahoga County is looking to use the innovative Pay for Success model to launch a new program aimed at helping local veterans successfully complete their college education and find in-demand jobs. The program would specifically target Ohio National Guard members to help them enroll in and finish college degree programs and connect them with well-paying jobs.

Currently the Ohio National Guard Scholarship Program (ONGSP) provides full tuition assistance to current and former Guard members, yet student success and completion outcomes are not a criteria for scholarship eligibility. Pending County Council approval, the new program would offer coaching to help increase enrollment, improve graduation rates, and maximize financial aid resources in order to minimize student debt. The County and the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE), the state agency who serves as the fiscal agent for the program on behalf of the Adjutant General’s Department, will release a Request for Proposals (RFP) to choose a service provider for a veteran-focused coaching service.

“I am thrilled to work with ODHE to develop a new approach for Cuyahoga residents that have served our community and County, and now could use help to take full advantage of the Ohio National Guard Scholarship Program,” said County Executive Armond Budish. “Our workforce leadership team will partner with ODHE to find a coaching entity that will support ONGSP students, particularly students of color, in starting and finishing their advanced education, and then hopefully find a job in one of our in-demand economic sectors.”

“We look forward to this partnership and the ways it can benefit those in the Ohio National Guard Scholarship Program and our critical workforce partners,” said ODHE Senior Director of Military and Apprenticeship Initiatives and Special Projects, Jared Shank. “This Pay for Success project has great potential to increase the number of ONGSP recipients who successfully complete degrees and certificates through the program, better equipping them to fill the jobs that are in-demand in today’s economy.”

Pay for Success (PFS) is an innovative contracting model that brings together cross-sector stakeholders to drive public resources toward high-performing services that achieve measurable, long-term results. In PFS financing, upfront funders provide working capital for services that a public entity later repays via outcomes payments if—and only if—those services achieve targeted outcomes.