Grants for Economic Development
Learn about grants for workforce development, labor rights, and social mobility by browsing our curated list of top funders below. Members can also research funding opportunities by using the search tool for GrantFinder. Become a member.
Funding trends for economic development
Funding for programs designed to increase social mobility are staples of American philanthropy. However, many donors are often ardent believers in a system in which hard work results in a just reward — a belief system that reinforces disproven ideas about economic mobility and perpetuates strategies that actually restrict support for the most vulnerable.
The COVID-19 pandemic, along with the racial justice turn in grantmaking, has further lifted the veil on millions of people living in the United States, especially marginalized communities. These elements combine to create an evolving giving space.
Because government and business play such an outsized role in the world of work and economic opportunity in the United States, philanthropy often works at the margins. As a result, philanthropic funding tends to focus on advocacy and ensuring a level playing field.
This includes funding to build research evidence supporting raising up of the federal minimum wage (which amazingly, at the time of this writing in 2021, is still $7.25/hour) as well as changes to other federal and state policies to promote high-quality skills training for job seekers.
Private foundations are the most prominent funders of nonprofits and related causes focused on work and opportunity. Many private foundations have evolved their interest areas to include racial equity, public policy and worker’s rights.
Corporate-sponsored foundations and corporate social responsibility programs often take more of a market based approach, trying to link local labor market needs with a better trained and more capable workforce.
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