ACCE Foundation

The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) improves the capacity of chambers of commerce to engage business leaders and community stakeholders in the pursuit of sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Chambers of commerce are community catalysts that work to improve education and workforce development outcomes for all; strengthen community health; boost quality of life and community vibrancy; create access and opportunities for meaningful employment, and promote broad-based economic prosperity.

ACCE’s Foundation was established to fund programming, peer-to-peer learning, and leadership development for chamber professionals seeking to create positive change by addressing the issues that challenge the long-term economic health and quality of life in our country’s cities and towns. At the forefront of our work is the belief that a growing, inclusive economy provides meaningful employment opportunities and thriving communities for all residents.

Latest News

• Coming soon: Applications open for 2025 - 2026 Fellowship for Talent Development
• ACCE & IEDC Announce Second Cohort of Workforce Development Certificate Recipients
• Results Based Accountability for Community Impact
• Communities Selected for Equitable Credential Cohort
• Chamber Leaders Selected for Economic Mobility Fellowship

Programming 

ACCE and its Foundation improve the capacity of chambers of commerce to engage business leaders and community stakeholders in the pursuit of sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Chambers are the catalysts for change in areas critical to community vibrancy and success. To ensure that chambers are armed with the information, tools and resources necessary to advance their communities, the ACCE Foundation has developed the following programmatic goals to strengthen the work of the ACCE and its members.

Recent Grants

• Equitable Credential Attainment Cohort 2
• Skills-Based Hiring Community of Practice, Activator Trainings and Employer Accelerators
• Economic Mobility for Rural Workers Cohort
• Partnering with Higher Education to Support Economic Mobility
• Two fellowships on increasing economic mobility for low and middle income workers

Education and Talent Pipeline

The Education & Talent Development Division continues to be the largest and highest growth area of work within the ACCE Foundation. High funder interest means that trend is likely to continue. ACCE Foundation will need to leverage this interest level and prioritize commitment to cradle-to-career issues impacting chambers.

The Foundation hosts an Annual Education & Talent Convening for chamber professionals. Learn more here.

Economic Mobility & Opportunity

ACCE Foundation supports the ACCE Economic Mobility & Opportunity (EMO) Division’s commitment to expanding its programming to help more chambers build broad-based prosperity in their communities and regions. In order to support the continued growth in this programming area, the ACCE Foundation will pursue funding to help chambers build capacity in critical areas including: economic inclusion, leadership diversity, community health, education attainment, small business development and expanding access to untapped talent.

Economic & Community Development

As chambers of commerce shift focus away from transactional value and towards mission-based value, the ACCE Foundation will continue to support ACCE’s body of work related to economic and community development. Relevant areas of focus include economic mobility, community health, quality of place, education equity, workforce housing, public transit, social services and more. Integration between the ACCE Foundation efforts and relevant ACCE divisions will better showcase catalytic chamber leaders and allow for best practices to reach a broader segment of the chamber community.

The ACCE Foundation provides research, thought leadership and peer learning opportunities to support chamber leaders working to address their community's greatest challenges. Here are some examples of our work. 

Bringing Worlds of Work to Your Community

Career Readiness: Worlds of Work Curriculum and Programming

Worlds of Work (WOW) exists to encourage, inspire and inform students, parents and educators of high-demand, high wage career options in their regions. This program, which includes in school and out of school opportunities, creates awareness about exciting career options among students and educators while addressing workforce needs in the region. Existing employers in the region continue to have unfilled job openings due to a shortage of skilled workers. WOW helps companies find potential workers and students find paths to success.

For more than a decade, chambers and economic development organizations across the country have been implementing WOW. This proven program provides an interactive, hand-son opportunity for students to engage with local employers and to better understand available jobs in their communities. Here are a few highlights of the program:

• Identifying Worlds of Work: In the WOW model, local economic and workforce development partners identify the key industries in the region that have high-demand, high-wage jobs available. Working in partnership with employers and educators, these partners identify career pathways for these industries and develop a plan for highlighting those pathways to local students. Partners also gather information on local courses that support these pathways, highlight specific careers within each world and provide additional information about the skills required to pursue a given career.
• Career Expo: This core element of the WOW program brings industry-specific opportunities to life for students, teachers and parents. Most expos focus on 8th or 9th grade students. Students meet with and hear from many different industries and employers to explore careers of interest. This gives students an opportunity to identify potential career paths early in their high school career so that they can take necessary courses and participate in out of school opportunities to help prepare them for these potential career paths. The expo primarily targets 9th grade students.
• WOW Varsity: An add-on to the basic Career Expo, this offering for 10th – 12th grade students allows students to deepen their engagement with and understanding of their selected career pathway. The have more time to explore opportunities after graduation and to meet with employers at their own pace.
• WOW 2.0: This program targets high school seniors to build connections with local employers who have current vacancies. This program provides necessary supports to seniors who are planning to enter the workforce full-time, part time or through an apprenticeship.
• Educator Workforce Academy: This year-long training provides an opportunity for educators to learn more about workforce development and industries in the region. The program helps break down disconnects between industry and education and prepares educators to incorporate practical examples of how knowledge is applied post-graduation. The program helps educators consider how to incorporate soft skills, graphic literacy and applied mathematics into their curriculum. The goal of this component is to reinforce what students are learning out of the classroom and to ultimately make them more hirable when they seek employment.

Who is Implementing WOW?

A growing number of communities are implementing and finding value in WOW. Originally a program of the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce, chambers across the country began visiting Tuscaloosa to learn more about the success with this program. In 2021, the ACCE Foundation facilitated site visits to West Alabama so that other communities could adopt the Worlds of Work model. Representatives from those communities returned home and began standing up their own WOW programs, and awareness about the program continues to grow. Here are a few examples of how other communities are implementing WOW:

• The Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce
• Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce
• Hampton Roads Chamber
• Greater Winston-Salem Inc.

Replicating the WOW Model in Your Community

If you are interested in bringing WOW to your community, the ACCE Foundation can connect you with a seasoned mentor to guide you through establishing WOW. These valuable insights will save you time and money, allowing you to begin offering WOW in your community on a condensed timeline.