Recap: Community Colleges Webinar on Innovative Financing Strategies

On Thursday, September 21, 2023, Workforce Matters hosted our second virtual learning and discussion series on community colleges and workforce development. Featuring the New Jersey Pay it Forward Program, the conversation explored how innovative workforce financing – whether designed to provide last-dollar funding, or invested to stretch or amplify impact Read more…

Reflections on Workforce Development Month September 2023 

The recognition of Workforce Development Month began in 2005. Now, almost 20 years later, organizations across the field continue to recognize the contributions of the workforce development field to our economy and society at large.  As a philanthropy-serving organization uniquely focused on workforce development through our support of workforce grantmakers, Read more…

Recap: Affirmative Action Briefing and Discussion for Workforce Grantmakers

On August 28, 2023, Workforce Matters hosted a briefing for workforce grantmakers on the implications of the Supreme Court’s decisions in SFFA v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC. Our conversation with Art Coleman, Managing Partner at EducationCounsel; Dr. Alex Camerdelle, Vice President at Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative; and Sally Chen, Read more…

Statement on the Supreme Court’s Ruling on Affirmative Action

From Co-Directors Loh-Sze Leung and Clair Minson: The Supreme Court’s rulings that struck down race-based admissions at Harvard and at the University of North Carolina set back decades of progress toward greater diversity and inclusion in higher education.  Affirmative action programs and policies have long been a critical tool for Read more…

Guest Post: Seven Recommendations to Advance Racial Equity in the Workforce System

Authors: Desmond Amuh, Manager for Policy, Markle Foundation Daniel Bustillo, Executive Director, Healthcare Career Advancement Program (H-CAP) Clair Minson, Founder & Principal Consultant, Sandra Grace LLC Paige Shevlin, Director of Policy and State Partnerships, Markle Foundation COVID-19 brought about the worst economic recession in modern history. With businesses shutting their Read more…

New Resource! A Workforce Funder’s Guide to Leveraging Public Funding

With flexible funding flowing to states and localities via the American Rescue Plan, the recent announcement of new grants to expand Registered Apprenticeships, and the Biden Administration’s ambitious American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan proposals pending, the field of workforce development is anticipating a historic infusion of new public Read more…

Lessons Learned & Key Takeaways from our Inaugural Peer-to-Peer Learning Labs

In this blog post… About the Labs Real-World Implications: What Participants are Saying Key Take-Aways Advancing Equitable Employer Practices Amplifying the Voice and Power of Workers and Learners Redesigning Workforce Policies and Systems for Equity and Resiliency Further Reading: Learning Lab Resource List About the Labs In the Fall of Read more…

Blog Post: Connecting Justice-Impacted Individuals to Employment: Reflections on The Road Up

Workforce Matters recently had the opportunity to screen the documentary The Road Up and host a Q&A, moderated by Tameshia Mansfield of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, with panelists Sheena Meade from Clean Slate Initiative, Esther Franco-Payne from Cabrini Green Legal Aid (CGLA), and Kristen Robinson, co-founder of the Ecofeminist Action Institute Read more…