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
Worker voice, representation, and power 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
African American technician worker holds part of robotic arm
Employer practices Last updated on November 19, 2024
Video

WorkRise Shorts: Overcoming Racial Disparities in Manufacturing Recruitment and Training Programs

Can a new local manufacturing workforce development program that targets workers who are not traditionally engaged in the sector overcome racial disparities in its hiring and wage rates?
Last updated on November 19, 2024
Working Knowledge

The Latest

Skills and training April 03, 2024
Research Summary

The Key Benefits of Career and Technical Education Programs in High School

Career and technical education in high school is considered a way to increase earnings and education after students graduate, but it also is a tool to reduce the most adverse socioeconomic outcomes in the years immediately following graduation.

Madeleine Sirois

April 03, 2024
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

Research

Employer practices Report June 17, 2022

Employer Practices and Worker Outcomes: A Landscape Report

Commissioned by WorkRise, this report by researchers at the MIT Sloan School of Management summarizes evidence on employer practices that influence economic mobility and promising areas for research to advance the state of policy and practice.

Erin L. Kelly, Hazhir Rahmandad, Nathan Wilmers, Aishwarya Yadama

WorkRise Research

June 17, 2022
Social determinants of work Executive Summary March 29, 2022

Income Inequality, Race, and the EITC

New grantee research finds the 1993 expansion of the earned income tax credit reduced income inequality among Black and white households in the lower half of the income distribution through a significant employment response among Black households.
March 29, 2022
Social determinants of work Report March 15, 2022

Implications of Providing Child Care Assistance to Parents In Education and Training

New WorkRise research uses microsimulation to model a hypothetical policy scenario where more parents in education and training were eligible for and received public child care subsidies.

Gina Adams, Linda Giannarelli, Nathan Sick, Kelly Dwyer

Grantee Research

March 15, 2022
Social determinants of work March 15, 2022

Expanding Child Care Subsidies to Parents in Education and Training

A fact sheet summarizes findings from a new WorkRise report that models a hypothetical policy scenario where more parents in education and training were eligible for and received public child care subsidies.

Gina Adams, Linda Giannarelli, Nathan Sick, Kelly Dwyer

Grantee Research

March 15, 2022