Thanks to all members and speakers who joined us for Workforce Matters’ 2026 budget briefing and discussion on March 31. A special thanks to Economic Opportunity Funders for their always-excellent Annual Budget and Tax Briefing, which provided the foundation for our conversation, and to our speakers, Megan Evans and Melissa Read more
Interest in apprenticeship is growing across the United States—from policymakers and employers to education leaders and workforce practitioners. Yet the country’s apprenticeship system remains far smaller than those in other advanced economies. Workforce Matters members and guests explored these challenges and opportunities on our March 5 webinar, “Apprenticeship: What Funders Read more
Last October, Tameshia Bridges Mansfield, Keely Cat-Wells (Making Space), Tamiera “TC” Nash (Louisiana Opportunity Youth Alliance), and Tracy Van Slyke (Pop Culture Collaborative) joined Further Together for a powerful panel on narrative. Together, they explored how cultural stories shape how we see work, workers, and workforce systems—and how those stories Read more
Last October at Further Together, one of the most thought-provoking conversations focused on something often invisible in workforce development, but deeply powerful: narrative. Moderated by Tameshia Bridges Mansfield, the panel featured Keely Cat-Wells (Making Space), Tamiera “TC” Nash (Louisiana Opportunity Youth Alliance), and Tracy Van Slyke (Pop Culture Collaborative). Together, Read more
On December 10, 2025, Workforce Matters was joined by Katie Spiker and Melissa Johnson of the National Skills Coalition for our final policy briefing of the year, which was open to funders and field partners alike. In the session, Katie and Melissa focused primarily on Workforce Pell and provided brief Read more
The Northern New Mexico Youth Fund is a new participatory, youth-led public-private partnership created by the Northern New Mexico Pathways to Opportunity Strategy Table to strengthen initiatives that support young people ages 13-29 in the region to thrive at school, work, and home. As part of our effort to showcase Read more
Earlier this year, Workforce Matters fielded a feedback survey and hosted two listening sessions in partnership with the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). Over 100 individuals participated, including grant partners in our Workforce Grantmaking in Native Nations and Communities initiative, Native-led nonprofits, Tribal programs, 477 programs, WIOA Section 166 Read more
Workforce Matters created and released Workforce 101 in May 2025. Developed by Nancy Snyder Consulting and delivered by Nancy Snyder and Katie Spiker of the National Skills Coalition, this webinar and slide deck provided a detailed overview of the publicly-funded workforce development system with insights specifically tailored toward philanthropic interests. Read more
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
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