what we're up to
2021 Budget and Policy Series
Join Workforce Matters along with our colleagues at the Economic Opportunity Funders network for our upcoming 2021 Budget and Policy Series. During this three-part series, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about:
- Key provisions in the federal budget and recovery package;
- How budget shortfalls are likely to shape state policy priorities;
- State and federal workforce budget and policy trends;
- Efforts to advance racial equity, worker protections, and an economy that works for all; and
- The implications of the shifting budget and policy landscape for your grantees and community.
Join us for all three sessions beginning April 8th or pick and choose sessions to meet your learning needs.
Apply Now for our Spring 2021 Learning Labs
This spring, Workforce Matters will launch two new peer-to-peer learning labs facilitated by Clair Watson Minson of Sandra Grace LLC to serve as communities of practice for grantmakers working to implement ideas and strategies inspired by A Racial Equity Framework for Workforce Development Funders.
The first learning lab, launching in May 2021, will specifically target workforce grantmakers who work for corporate foundations or corporate giving programs. The second, launching in June 2021, will be open to any workforce grantmaker. Both learning labs will assume a working knowledge of racial equity terms and principles and an understanding of how race and racism show up in the labor market. The deadline to apply is April 16, 2021.
New on our Blog: Catching Up with the Families + Workers Fund
Workforce Matters recently caught up with Rachel Korberg to check in on the progress of the Families and Workers Fund as it approaches its first anniversary. The $33 million Fund was able to help provide cash relief to 215,000 of the hardest hit workers and families in its first year.
Thank you to everyone who participated in our recent member survey! Your input was invaluable to our planning...we can't wait to share more about all of the learning and networking opportunities we have planned for this year. Survey participants were invited to nominate one workforce nonprofit to receive a $500 donation in a prize drawing. The winning nonprofit was SERJobs, a Texas Gulf Coast nonprofit that helps people "transform their lives through education, training, employment, and financial empowerment services." Check them out!
April Office Hours - Let's Connect!
Are you new to Workforce Matters? Just looking for information about how to get more involved? Join us for one of our monthly Office Hours, where you'll have an opportunity to share information about your interests, learn more about Workforce Matters, and connect with other workforce grantmakers who are also seeking out learning and partnership opportunities. Our next Office Hours will be Friday, April 23 at 12:00 pm eastern.
on our calendars
Taking on Child Poverty
March 29 | 1:00 pm ET | Children, Youth, and Family Funders Roundtable | Online
Learn More + Register
One Year Later: How Has COVID-19 Reshaped Philanthropy?
March 31 | 2:00pm ET | Council on Foundations | Online
Strategies for Practitioners Serving Youth and Young Adults Remotely
March 31 | 3:00 pm ET | Urban Institute | Online
new information + resources
‘I Really Loved My Job’: Why the Pandemic Has Hit These Workers Harder
New York Times
Summer Youth Employment Programs 2020: Lessons from the Field
Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions and CLASP
Racial and Ethnic Equity Gaps in Postsecondary Career and Technical Education Considerations for Online Learning
Urban Institute
Advancing Frontline Women: Realizing the Full Potential of the Retail Workforce
FSG
The pandemic proved America's worker benefits are broken. Now is the perfect time to fix systems like unemployment insurance and healthcare.
Business Insider
From commitments to action: How CEOs can advance racial equity in their regional economic
Brookings Institution
Building an Equitable Recovery: The Role of Race, Labor Markets, and Education
The New School Institute on Race and Political Economy
Should Gig Work Be Government-Run?
The New Yorker
announcements
The Ford Foundation’s Future of Work(ers) (FOW) thematic area seeks a dynamic, strategic, and collaborative Program Officer (PO) to help shape and implement its strategy focused on building greater economic security, opportunity, and power for workers in the United States. Learn More...
Funded by ECMC foundation, the CTE CoLab is being led by the Urban Institute in partnership with five national organizations: World Education, Inc., the National Council for Workforce Education, the Office of Community College Research and Learning at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the Instructional Technology Council, and the National Council of Advanced Technology Centers. The CoLab is inviting community and technical college CTE programs to apply to participate in peer learning, coaching, research-informed technical assistance, and the implementation of equity-centered action plans. Through this work, the CTE CoLab will develop resources to support and build the field and collaborate with colleges in making their CTE programming more inclusive and accessible. Learn More...
The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced the availability of approximately $87.5 million for grants to expand Registered Apprenticeships across the nation, with up to $40 million of those funds in grants awarded to states that implement required diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and demonstrate their commitment to adopt, expand and promote these efforts. States can apply for State Apprenticeship Expansion, Equity and Innovation Grants ranging from $2 million to $10 million based on state-specific capacity and needs. Learn More...
