Nonprofit Exalt wins DCJS grant, outlines Syracuse pilot to place 65 justice‑involved youth in paid internships

Exalt, a New York City nonprofit that places justice‑involved young people in paid internships, told the Syracuse Common Council Committee on Public Safety it will pilot a Syracuse replication serving 65 participants across five staggered cycles. The presenter, identified in the record as the chief program officer (name not specified), said the pilot will be funded primarily by a DCJS grant (cited in the presentation as approximately $1.5 million) and supplemented by private and philanthropic commitments, bringing total committed funds to about $2.1 million.

The chief program officer said Exalt’s model is voluntary and not court‑mandated: “We are not a court mandated program, and that, it is a volunteer program,” they said, and described an exhaustive, roughly three‑week assessment that combines educational, criminal‑justice, candidate and resource assessments before offering acceptance. The program combines a culturally responsive pre‑internship curriculum with an eight‑week paid internship placement; the presenter said interns begin receiving $18 per hour during the internship phase (the speaker also noted the program begins accruing pay early in participation).

Why it matters: Exalt said its approach aims to reduce criminal‑justice involvement and increase economic mobility through sustained employer relationships and alumni supports. The presenter cited historical court‑advocacy outcomes in…