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
Employer practices Wednesday, December 18, 2024

How Businesses Can Advance Manufacturing's Future through Collaboration with Workers

Right now, US manufacturers face real challenges meeting their workforce needs. But with innovations in how jobs are designed—such as…

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

In Depth

Illustration of people of different ethnicities
Economic context, Care work, Scheduling Feature Last updated on October 24, 2024

Segregation in the Low-Wage Workforce

Over the past 50 years, the composition of the low-wage workforce has changed: more than half of low-wage workers are now people of color, up from just 20 percent in 1971. Today, Black, Latino, and women workers are more likely to be segregated into worse-quality and lower-paying jobs.

WorkRise Research

Last updated on October 24, 2024
Employer practices, Paid leave December 04, 2023
Video

WorkRise Shorts: Paid Sick and Safe Day Policies with Marianne Bellesorte

December 04, 2023
Working Knowledge

The Latest

African American woman Using Laptop Computer at Night
Economic context, AI at work Last updated on April 30, 2024
Video

WorkRise Shorts: Workers’ Assessments of AI’s Impact on Jobs

Rutgers University distinguished professor Carl Van Horn, founding director of the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, shares insights from his research, which looks at US workers’ attitudes toward government oversight of AI technologies and its impact on jobs.
Last updated on April 30, 2024
Hands signing contract
Worker voice, representation, and power Last updated on April 30, 2024
Research Summary

The Consequences of Signing Noncompete Agreements among Low-Wage Workers and Those without College Degrees

Noncompete agreements are commonly used by businesses when hiring highly educated, high-wage workers entrusted with sensitive information or specialized training, but new research finds that 14 percent of workers without a bachelor’s degree and 13 percent of workers earning less than $40,000 per year are also bound by these contracts. The Federal Trade Commission now wants to ban all noncompetes because they often are associated with harmful employment outcomes for workers’ career mobility and income growth, relying in part on this new research.

Annabel Stattelman Scanlan

Last updated on April 30, 2024
College students study together around a table in the library
Skills and training, Support during upskilling  Last updated on April 23, 2024
Video

WorkRise Shorts: The Harvard Workforce Almanac

The workforce almanac is a first-of-its-kind open-source directory mapping thousands of workforce training providers across the US. The workforce training system in the US has historically been treated in fragmentation, Nathalie Gazzaneo, co-director of Harvard Project on Workforce, shares.
Last updated on April 23, 2024
Female Retail Assistant Checks Stock on tablet
Employer practices, Scheduling Last updated on April 23, 2024
Research Summary

A Win-Win for Business and Workers: Evidence from a Predictable Scheduling Intervention at Gap, Inc.

Given shifts in attitudes and legislation around irregular work hours, this study explores the effects of changes in scheduling practices on employee and business outcomes, finding benefits for both parties.

Oluwasekemi Odumosu

Last updated on April 23, 2024

Research

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, Immigrant workers, Sectoral bargaining 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
Worker voice, representation, and power Report July 11, 2022

U.S. Workers’ Organizing Efforts and Collective Actions: A Review of the Current Landscape

The report summarizes research evidence on the size of the voice and representation gaps workers are attempting to fill, and provides examples of different strategies workers are using to address the gap.

Grantee Research

July 11, 2022