Grantmaking and Partnerships

Led by a cross-sector Leadership Board that is ideologically diverse and representative of often-siloed groups, WorkRise invests in research on policies, programs, and practices that have the potential to accelerate economic security and mobility for low-wage workers. We fund analyses and the creation of data that shed light on labor market barriers, trends, and opportunities. And we engage in strategic partnerships that help advance evidence-based solutions in support of our mission. Learn more about our most recent request for proposals and how you can collaborate with WorkRise.

The Latest

Skills and training

Last updated on June 18, 2024

How to Expand Access to Good Clean Energy Jobs among Women and People of Color

New research shows women and people of color are underrepresented in the potential workforce for high-quality clean energy jobs. Universities, employers, and unions can play a role in creating a more diverse workforce.
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Skills and training

Last updated on June 04, 2024

WorkRise Shorts: Applying AI to Rebuild Middle Class Jobs with David Autor

Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor David Autor asks what artificial intelligence could enable people to do and who could be enabled by this tool.
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group of diverse businesspeople working on a laptop

Economic context

Last updated on June 11, 2024

Better Local Labor Market Conditions Can Help Reduce the Risk of Reincarceration in the United States

Formerly incarcerated people who face better local labor market conditions when they are released from prison are estimated to face lower likelihoods of being reincarcerated.
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Working Knowledge

The Latest

Employer practices March 26, 2024
Research Summary

Consequences of Workplace Incivilities toward Women in Low-Wage Jobs

In honor of Women’s History Month, this research summary highlights the consequences of women’s exposure to misconduct in low-wage jobs, with the incivilities causing most of the targets to experience work-related anxiety and greater likelihood of job loss.

Oluwasekemi Odumosu

March 26, 2024
technicians talking near solar panels
Employer practices March 19, 2024
Article

Employers and Policymakers Can Help Build a Greener Workforce

As the US labor market begins to cool, it is important that the new work opportunities created by the Inflation Reduction Act are protected and expanded.

Joe Peck

March 19, 2024
Job search and matching March 12, 2024
Research Summary

Self-Employment Savvy: The Relationship between Financial Literacy and Working Independently

Individuals with higher levels of financial literacy are more likely to work for themselves than participate in traditional employment, no matter their race or ethnicity. This relationship is even stronger for women, demonstrating the importance of financial education and confidence-building in an economy where non-White and female workers face significant barriers to self-employment.

Annabel Stattelman Scanlan

March 12, 2024
Job search and matching March 05, 2024
Video

WorkRise Shorts: “Whole Human Hiring” Practices in the Workplace, with Clayton Lord

March 05, 2024

Research

Employer practices Executive Summary December 10, 2022

Executive Summary: The National Study of Workplace Equity

In a new study, researchers from Work Equity, an initiative at the Boston College School of Social Work, and SHRM find that much progress needs to be made on equity across the employment lifecycle. Based on a survey of just over 1,000 workplaces, researchers find that equity is implemented inconsistently across 10 discrete employment systems.

Samuel L. Bradley, Jr., Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, Kathleen Christensen

Grantee Research

December 10, 2022
Social determinants of work Brief September 29, 2022

The EITC and Racial Income Inequality

A new analysis from WorkRise grantees finds that the earned income tax credit reduces racial income inequality among lower- and middle-income households but may widen it for households in deep poverty.

Bradley Hardy, Charles Hokayem, James Ziliak

Grantee Research

September 29, 2022
Worker voice, representation, and power Report July 28, 2022

Worker Power and Economic Mobility: A Landscape Report

This landscape report summarizes empirical evidence on two main pathways for workers to exercise their power in the labor market: the ability to exit their current job for  better outside options and organizations and institutions that build worker voice within firms.  

Ioana Marinescu, Jake Rosenfeld

WorkRise Research

July 28, 2022
Job search and matching Report July 20, 2022

Search and Matching in Modern Labor Markets: A Landscape Report

This landscape report synthesizes research on how job seekers find work and how employers post and fill open positions in the labor market. It also explores frictions experienced by both parties and implications for workers’ economic mobility.

Alexander W. Bartik, Bryan A. Stuart

WorkRise Research

July 20, 2022