May 2, 2025 — Career literacy platform CareerViewXR is officially announcing the recipients of their 2025 Production Grant program. Established to support schools and other educational organizations, this year’s grant featured top awards valued at over $100,000.
This is CareerViewXR’s second time offering the Production Grant. The goal behind the initiative is to provide access to immersive career exploration opportunities for students and adult job seekers while developing relationships with new schools, organizations, and industry leaders. CareerViewXR and later identified industry partners will create immersive field trip content to be added to the platform’s library for students across the country to enjoy.
In total, this year’s application pool featured schools and organizations from 13 different states. Matthew Chaussee, CareerViewXR CEO and Co-founder, said "After evaluating the impact of our inaugural Production Grant in 2024, it was clear we had to bring it back for a second year. Educators, employers, and students have made it clear that there's an unmet need to bring career exploration to life in a more immersive, student-centered way. This initiative continues to prove that when schools and local businesses come together, the impact on students is transformative.” Matthew added, “We’re excited to capture and share these new stories, in partnership with this year’s awardees, to create meaningful connections across their geographies, while simultaneously benefiting students across the country."
After application reviews and an interview process, the selection committee chose to recognize three full award recipients. Originally, the grant details had outlined awarding two organizations, but because of the number of quality applicants, the committee decided to award an additional group. Winners were selected based on a combination of criteria, including demonstrated financial need of their organizations, their recommended local industry partners offering unique perspectives for the CareerViewXR platform, thoughts shared around implementation and use of the platform, and more. Winners will receive one CareerViewXR experience produced in their region, 12-month CareerViewXR subscriptions for up to 5,000 students, and two virtual reality headsets. The package of products and services is valued at up to $100,000 per school/organization.
The three winners include:
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Amplify Horse Racing is a Lexington, Kentucky-based non-profit organization that amplifies Thoroughbred industry education, mentorship, and career opportunities with horse programs for youth and young adults. Despite being based in Kentucky, the Amplify Horse Racing team engages thousands of middle and high school students, college students, educators, and young professionals across the United States through various racetrack activations, career fairs, national conferences, and other equine-centered events.
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Annise Montplaisir, Cady Coulardot, and Mary-Courtney Combs |
“At Amplify Horse Racing, our mission is to make the Thoroughbred industry as accessible and inclusive as possible, while introducing young people to its many career paths in a way that is engaging, hands-on, and safe.” stated Annise Montplaisir, Executive Director at Amplify Horse Racing. Annise continued, "We can’t always bring students to a racetrack, sales company, or breeding farm—and there are certain roles, like driving a tractor, riding a racehorse, or working as a farrier, that aren’t easy to experience firsthand. The CareerViewXR platform will be a game-changer for how we deliver our programming, allowing us to bring the industry directly to students—no matter where they are.”
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Based in Philidelphia, Keystone LifeSci Collaborative is a non-profit and regional partnership of over 40 life science leaders and community partners in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Keystone LifeSci Collaborative works to grow and strengthen the life sciences sector in the Greater Philidelphia Region by helping organizations do business better, strengthen their workforce, and spur economic growth. The organization learned about this grant opportunity after CareerViewXR CEO and Co-founder Matthew Chaussee presented at an event hosted by The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL).
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Maurie Smith, Managing Director at Keystone LifeSci Collaborative accepted the award, stating “Southeastern PA’s life sciences sector holds tremendous employment opportunities, but without greater career awareness, we risk missing the talent needed to sustain it. The VR grant lets us create immersive experiences that can spark curiosity for exciting new industries, especially for students from underrepresented communities. This grant will be about helping young people see what’s possible, and more importantly, see themselves in those futures.”
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Oklahoma Connections Academy is a tuition-free online public school serving PreK-12 students throughout Oklahoma. Their mission is to help each student maximize their full potential and meet the highest academic standards through a uniquely individualized online learning program, which includes a flexible schedule, high-level teacher interaction, a rigorous curriculum, and family involvement. Oklahoma Connections Academy believes every student has unique strengths and interests that can lead to fulfilling career opportunities and their unique online platform enables them to reach special populations and students in rural areas who may lack access to career exploration opportunities.
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Upon learning of Oklahoma Connections Academy becoming a grant recipient, the OKCA Counseling Department shared, “We are excited to collaborate with CareerViewXR in developing an innovative virtual reality experience that will inspire and engage students nationwide. It’s an honor to contribute to a project that expands access to immersive educational opportunities, and we look forward to supporting this initiative as it brings impactful learning experiences to classrooms across the country.”
The following five schools and organizations are being recognized as runners-up. Each will be receiving 12-month CareerViewXR subscriptions for up to 1,000 students as well as one HTC VIVE virtual reality headset:
The CareerViewXR Production Grant selection committee acknowledged and expressed gratitude to all schools and organizations that participated in the grant process. Maddysen Boecker, Communications Manager and part of this year’s committee stated, “We as a group want to thank each and every group for the time and effort they put into their applications and interviews. Reviewing these submissions is one of the most inspiring and exciting parts of my year. Selecting the winners is never easy because everyone is so deserving and innovative!”
As a result of collaborations from last year’s grant, CareerViewXR was able to release a data technician field trip filmed in the Greater Milwaukee area as well as two field trips filmed in Midcoast Maine—lobster fishing and tank and vessel manufacturer. “Traveling to meet our production partners and stepping into their world is one of the best parts of building the CareerViewXR library. Every time we capture a career or process, we get a rare, behind-the-scenes look at what makes these industries so special—and why they matter.” shared Joey Schmit, Director of Operations at CareerViewXR, “Turning that experience into something students can explore and imagine for themselves is incredibly rewarding. These production grants crack open doors to careers students might never have thought to explore. We’re extremely excited to work with this year’s awardees and their local industry partners.”
The outcomes of this year’s production partnerships and the expanded use of the CareerViewXR platform among winners and runners-up will continue to help shape the evolution of the platform. Outcomes may include impact stories, case studies, and opportunities for collaborative research. These projects represent the next chapter in immersive career exploration. CareerViewXR looks forward to launching the third annual Production Grant next year and encourages educators, employers, and workforce leaders to stay connected through their website and social media for upcoming announcements and opportunities.
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CareerViewXR is an immersive career exploration platform that brings field trips to the classroom through 360-degree web-based tours and companion virtual reality videos. Students and adult job seekers alike can explore engaging tours highlighting in-demand industries like skilled trades, healthcare, energy, and more. Best of all – VR headsets are completely optional; the content is accessible on devices you already own – including laptops, cell phones, and tablets. Explore more at careerviewxr.com.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Maddysen Boecker
Communications Manager, CareerViewXR by Be More Colorful
(701) 353-2000 EXT 704
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