Named after the legendary Ernestine McClendon, the first Black talent agent and the first agent to represent Black talent, Recruiting Innovation seeks to continue her mission through this grant program to support and elevate underrepresented talent, specifically within the recruiting industry. The Talent Grant program runs biannually with cohorts of 50 grant recipients, bringing 100 diverse Certified Tech Recruiters to the market every year. Recruiting Innovation is committing $80,000 in training annually, certification and professional support to achieve this goal.

The Ernestine McClendon Talent Grant provides Tech Recruiter Certification, mentorship, training and community to professionals from the Black, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled and other underrepresented communities to enter and flourish within the tech recruiting industry.

Recruiting Innovation firmly believes the more diverse our recruiting teams are, the more diverse our teams will ultimately be. By providing this Talent Grant, we seek to create a more inclusive and representative recruiting industry.