Workforce Matters

Workforce development is about more than jobs and skills: A conversation with Narbada Chhetri

Earlier this year, Workforce Matters made a second round of investments through our Fund for Workforce Equity. In this round, we supported seven organizations working to engage workers and learners most impacted by racial, ethnic, and gender disparities in designing and implementing workforce development programs and policies. In recognition of Read more…

By Workforce Matters, 3 daysMay 28, 2025 ago

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Meeting Our Steering Committee: Tuquan Harrison

Tell us a little bit about your background and why you joined Workforce Matters. My name is Tuquan Harrison (he/they), and I am a Program Officer at the James Irvine Foundation. For the past three years, I have led grantmaking and strategy development for the Better Careers Initiative, focusing on investing in a Read more…

By Workforce Matters, 3 daysMay 28, 2025 ago

member profile

Meet Our Steering Committee: Laura Love

Tell us a little bit about your background and why you joined Workforce Matters. I currently lead the work-based learning strategy at Strada Education Foundation. Our aspiration is for every learner to have access to quality work-based learning, so we’re focused on a dramatic scale of paid internships, apprenticeships, and Read more…

By Workforce Matters, 1 monthApril 30, 2025 ago

convening funder-to-funder discussion webinars

Recap: 2025 Budget and Tax Briefing

Thanks to all members who joined us for Workforce Matters’ 2025 budget briefing and discussion on March 27. A special thanks to Economic Opportunity Funders for their excellent Annual Budget and Tax Briefing, which provided the foundation for our conversation, and to our speakers, Katie Spiker and Melissa Johnson from Read more…

By Workforce Matters, 2 monthsApril 16, 2025 ago

learning labs

Applications Now Open: Trust Based Philanthropy Learning Lab

This summer, Workforce Matters will launch a new peer-to-peer learning lab facilitated by Surabhi Jain of Surbahi Jain Consulting. This learning lab will serve as a community of practice for grantmakers interested in learning how to practically apply the principles of Trust Based Philanthropy. This new learning lab will focus Read more…

By Workforce Matters, 2 monthsApril 16, 2025 ago

criminal justice reform guest post Uncategorized

Investing in Fair Chance Hiring: Key Research Areas to Explore

Authors: Matthew Bruce, Executive Director, Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance, and Steph Dolan, Program Director, Corporate Coalition of Chicago What do Martha Stewart, Donald Trump and Robert Downey Jr. all have in common? All have criminal records. While these individuals have gone on to varying degrees of fame and success, many Read more…

By Workforce Matters, 2 monthsApril 16, 2025 ago

news + announcements

Workforce Matters Field Partner Survey

Workforce Matters launched the second round of Fund for Workforce Equity funding in 2024 in order to expand our support of efforts to engage workers and learners in shaping workforce development programs and policies. Now that our grantmaking round has concluded and grantees have been announced, we are reflecting on our processes Read more…

By Workforce Matters, 2 monthsApril 2, 2025 ago

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Meet Our Steering Committee: Laura Mutis

Tell us a little bit about your background and why you joined Workforce Matters. I have spent close to a decade working in philanthropy, spanning both the private and corporate sectors, with a focus on workforce development and education. Throughout my career, I’ve witnessed firsthand the power of bringing people Read more…

By Workforce Matters, 2 monthsMarch 19, 2025 ago

news + announcements special announcements

Fund for Workforce Equity Selects Second Cohort of Grantees

$700,000 awarded to workforce organizations from across the country to center workers and learners of color (March 5, 2025) – The Fund for Workforce Equity, a pooled investment fund led by Workforce Matters, announced seven grant recipients will each receive grants of up to $100,000 to implement initiatives that center Read more…

By Workforce Matters, 3 monthsMarch 5, 2025 ago

blog posts member profile

Meet Our Steering Committee: Jeremy Kelley

Tell us a little bit about your background and why you joined Workforce Matters. My entire professional career has been dedicated to workforce development, beginning with my role supporting returning citizens in partnership with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office in my native Boston. I worked closely with individuals navigating Read more…

By Workforce Matters, 3 monthsFebruary 19, 2025 ago