April 1 News + Updates

Register Today! April 12 Funder-to-Funder Discussion on Community Colleges

Join Workforce Matters Tuesday, April 12th at 2:00 pm eastern for a peer-to-peer conversation among grantmakers investing in community colleges. During this one-hour, informal Zoom meeting, you'll have an opportunity to network with colleagues, ask questions, and exchange information about your work. We'll be joined by Jennifer Zeisler of the ECMC Foundation and Susan Dundon of the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, who will share insights from their grantmaking.

Register to Participate

This program is being offered in partnership with our colleagues at Grantmakers for Education.

This event is reserved for grantmakers from qualifying philanthropies. Learn more.

Meet the Funder: Jennifer Zeisler, ECMC Foundation

"Single mother students face significant financial strains and demands on their time: nine in 10 live at or below the poverty line, and they spend an average of nine hours per day caregiving on top of school and, often, work. Just 11% of single mothers enrolled in an associate degree program complete their degree on time. Again and again, learnings from the work of our grantees pointed to how central the success of single mother students is to solving some of the biggest issues – poverty, economic mobility, gender equity, and racial justice – facing the philanthropic sector."

Meet Jennifer Zeisler, Senior Program Director for Career Readiness at the ECMC Foundation, in the latest installment of our Meet the Funder series. We believe that Jennifer may be the only Workforce Matters member to have ridden her bicycle from coast to coast (!), but please let us know if we're wrong.

Get to Know Jennifer

Spring 2022 Budget and Policy Programming

We have a full slate of learning opportunities scheduled for this spring!

2022 Budget and Tax Briefing Series

As in years past, we're pleased to be co-sponsoring the annual Budget and Tax Briefing Series organized by our colleagues at Economic Opportunity Funders:

Part One: Federal Policy, Budget, and Revenue Outlook

Wednesday, April 6th 3:00 pm ET
Featuring Robb Gray, Director of Policy-Advocacy at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation; Sharon Parrott, President, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; and Taifa Smith Butler, President, Demos.
Part Two: State Policy, Budget, and Revenue Outlook:
A Focus on the South

Wednesday, April 13th 3:00 pm ET
Featuring Ethan Frey, Program Officer, Civic Engagement & Government, Ford Foundation; John Simpkins, President, MDC; Robyn Hyden, Executive Director, Alabama Arise; and  Zelalem Adefris, Vice President of Policy & Advocacy, Catalyst Miami.
Learn More + Register

Save the Date! Spring 2022 Workforce Policy Update

Mark your calendars for our annual Workforce Policy Update call Tuesday, May 24th at 12:00 pm ET with representatives of Advance CTE, the Association of Community College Trustees, and the National Association of Workforce Boards. Stay tuned for additional information and a registration link.

These events are reserved for workforce development grantmakers from qualifying philanthropies. Learn more.

Apply Now! Racial Equity Learning Exchange

A three-part intensive cohort for workforce grantmaking organizations

• Are you a leader in a workforce grantmaking organization that has committed to equity work?
• Are you navigating the tensions around introducing or implementing equity-focused policies and practices?
• Would you enjoy a peer learning network dedicated to helping you learn and lead in this work?

Formed in 2006, Race and Equity in Philanthropy Group (REPG) provides a forum for learning exchange among a core group of member foundations on policies and practices related to racial equity and various aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In 2022-2023, Workforce Matters and REPG are partnering to offer a unique learning exchange opportunity, built on REPG's longstanding model, to enable a small group of Workforce Matters members who are working on implementing racial equity programs, policies, and approaches within their organizations to go deeper. The deadline to apply is May 1, 2022.

Learn More + Apply

This program is reserved for grantmakers from qualifying philanthropies. Learn more.

Office Hours

Looking for an intro to Workforce Matters? Join us for our monthly Office Hours, where you'll have an opportunity to share information about your interests, learn more about our programs, and connect with other workforce grantmakers who are also seeking out learning and partnership opportunities. Our next Office Hours will be Friday, April 8th at 11:00 am eastern.

Sign me up!

on our calendars 

• National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) Lunch & Learn April 1 12:00 PM ET | Institute on Disability/UCED | Online Learn More + Register

• The Rewards of Work: Lessons from the Fair Labor Standards Act April 7 2:00 PM ET | Aspen Institute | Online Learn More + Register

• Equity Insights with Marisa Bono April 14 12:00 PM ET | Asset Funders Network | Online Learn More + Register

• 10 Years of the EITC Pooled Fund: Looking Back, Looking Forward April 20 1:00 PM ET | Economic Opportunity Funders | Online Learn More + Register

• Meet the 2022 Law & Social Policy Legacy Award Winner April 27 1:00 PM ET | Economic Opportunity Funders | Online Learn More + Register

• Non-degree Credentials Research Network April 28-29 | George Washington University | Washington, DC Learn More + Register

• 42nd National Indian and Native American Employment and Training Conference - WIOA Section 166 / PL 102-477 May 2-5 | Catoosa, Oklahoma Learn More + Register

• Getting Serious: Apprenticeship Equity Solutions for Employers and Sponsors May 4-5 | Center for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning @ JFF | Online Learn More + Register

new information + resources 

• Designing a Human-Centered Workplace: A Guide for Employers National Fund for Workforce Solutions Read the Guide

• Even with positive job reports, systemic problems are hurting vulnerable job seekers Brookings Read the Analysis

• Coming Back Better: Leveraging Crisis-Response Task Forces to Advance Racial Equity and Worker Justice PolicyLink Read the Report

• Understanding and Quantifying Crossroads Moments: How Context and Decisions Can Affect Economic Mobility and Racial and Ethnic Disparities Urban Institute Read the Report

• Community College Baccalaureate Programs as an Equity Strategy: Student Access and Outcomes Data New America Read the Report

• 2022 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium Research on Disability Read the Compendium

• Subsidized Employment: A Strategy to Address Equity and Inclusion in SNAP E&T Programs CLASP Read the Brief

• How Innovators Are Approaching Independent Revenue Generation Workers Lab Read the Report

• Improving Training Evaluation Data to Brighten the Future of Black Workers Joint Center Read the Report

announcements 

• Millions of professionals and volunteers work with young people every day, yet we have little information about these individuals. Part of a larger Youth Fields Study commissioned and funded by The Wallace Foundation, The Power of Us Workforce Surveyseeks to know and understand this essential workforce. Through the survey, youth-serving professionals and volunteers can contribute to a national effort to explore, define, and elevate their profession. Learn More
• The Hawaii Community Foundation, Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Harold K.L. Castle Foundation and HMSAhave launched the Hawaii Workforce Funders Collaborative and are seeking a full-time executive director. Learn More
• WorkRiserecently announced a new request for proposals (RFP) soliciting pilot projects that test and evaluate public- and private-sector interventions to strengthen economic security and mobility for low-wage workers in the US labor market. Applications are due April 8th. Learn More
• The James Irvine Foundationis a private, nonprofit grantmaking foundation dedicated to expanding opportunity for the people of California. With offices in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, the Foundation’s current focus is a California where all low-income workers have the power to advance economically. The Foundation is seeking a Senior Program Officer (Better Careers) to help advance this singular goal. Learn More
• The Council on Foundation’s 2022 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits (GSB) Surveyis now open. Since 1980, grantmakers have relied on this annual report to inform budgeting, talent recruitment and retention strategies, and personnel policies and practices. Those who complete the survey will receive a free copy of the report (a $598 value), early access to the report’s data tables, and access to create custom benchmark reports. The survey deadline is May 10, 2022. Council membership is not required to participate. Learn More
• The W. K. Kellogg Foundation supports children, families and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society. The Foundation is currently hiring for two program officer positions: Family Economic Security Program Officer in Mississippi ; Family Economic Security Program Officer in New Orleans
• The US Department of Transportationrecently announced a $2.9 billion funding opportunity—the Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant (MPDG). This is a combined notice to solicit applications for three funding opportunities: the National Infrastructure Project Assistance grants program (Mega), the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highways Projects grants program (INFRA), and the Rural Surface Transportation Grant program (Rural). Grantee selection criteria include labor standards, good-paying jobs, workforce, and workforce equity considerations. Applications are due May 23. Learn More

Save the Date!

• Critical Conversations with the Latinx Community | Mar 22 - Aug 16 | Online | Ford Foundation + The Latinx House
• GCIR 2022 National Convening May 10-12 2022 | Houston, TX | Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees
• Horizons Conference June 7-8 2022 | New Orleans, LA | Jobs for the Future
• NFG 2022 National Convening June 14-16 2022 | Wilmington, NC | Neighborhood Funders Group
• AFN Biennial National Conference 2022 September 13-15 2022 | Oakland, CA | Asset Funders Network