The Fund for Workforce Equity is a pooled fund, supported by Workforce Matters, that aims to center workers and learners most impacted by racial, ethnic, and gender disparities in workforce policy and program design and implementation. The Fund does this by providing flexible resources and support to workforce development organizations seeking to pilot and learn from new strategies as well as innovate on or extend existing strategies.
Background
In 2021, Workforce Matters published A Racial Equity Framework for Workforce Development Funders, a new guide intended to identify concrete ways for workforce development funders to interrupt the systemic racism embedded within the field’s practices, policies, and programs; the institution of philanthropy; our own organizations; and the labor markets of communities we serve.
One of the key opportunities for action lifted up by the Framework is centering workers and learners most impacted by racial, ethnic, and gender disparities. Those individuals who are most directly affected by workforce development investments, initiatives, practices, programs, and policies should have a key role in influencing their design, implementation, and assessment. Yet, the field of workforce development has a long way to go in learning to center and respect the voices, experiences, and leadership of the people it serves.
We believe that funders can take additional steps to ensure that Black, Indigenous, Latinx/Hispanic, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and other People of Color as well as refugees and immigrants and people with disabilities authentically shape workforce efforts. To this end, Workforce Matters launched the Fund for Workforce Equity to spark innovative strategies for involving and engaging workers and learners, document lessons learned, and lift up promising practices for funders and practitioners alike.
In 2022, we made our inaugural round of grants from the Fund for Workforce Equity.
In 2023, we launched a new initiative supported by the Fund–Workforce Grantmaking in Native Nations and Communities.
Round 2 grant awards will be made in February 2025.
Fund for Workforce Equity Strategies
Grants
The Fund will provide flexible grants to organizations in order to authentically engage and center workers and learners most impacted by racial, ethnic, and gender disparities in workforce development program and policy design and implementation.
Learning Community
The Fund will invest in learning communities so grantees can exchange information about their experiences and learn from one another. The Fund will also support funder and stakeholder learning and sharing.
Technical Assistance
The Fund will provide access to expertise, resources, and coaching on power sharing, human-centered design, and other best practices for elevating worker and learner voice and agency.
Evaluation + Learning
The Fund will support evaluation and communications efforts to capture promising practices and disseminate lessons learned.
Interested in learning more?
- Learn about our 2022-23 grantees
- Read our latest learning and evaluation reports
- Browse our collection of resources to learn more about strategies for centering workers and learners.
For Workforce Grantmakers
Interested in learning more and potentially becoming an investor? We’ll be in touch about future investment opportunities!
For Field Partners
Are you a workforce practitioner, policy expert, evaluator, or advisor who’s interested in learning more about future funding opportunities? Let’s stay in touch!
Previous and Current Fund for Workforce Equity Contributors
Allstate Foundation
American Institutes for Research
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Ascendium Education Group
Gates Foundation
Cognizant Foundation
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Cuyahoga County Workforce Funders Group
Deaconess Foundation
Fund for Our Economic Future
The James Irvine Foundation
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
The Kessler Foundation
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Northwest Area Foundation
Siemens Foundation
Strada Education Foundation
Solon E. Summerfield Foundation
Tipping Point Community
Truist Foundation
Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation
Walmart.org
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation
WES Mariam Assefa Fund
Supporting Members of Workforce Matters
Workforce Grantmaking in Native Nations and Communities Contributors
Allstate Foundation
American Institutes for Research
Ascendium Education Group
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
LANL Foundation
Northwest Area Foundation
Supporting Members of Workforce Matters