A “good jobs economy” - fueled by inclusive economic growth and pathways to good careers - can advance greater economic competitiveness and more equitable access to opportunity. While a high school degree was once a ticket to a middle-class lifestyle, it no longer is. America hasn’t built the ladders needed for most people to develop and leverage their talents, attain good jobs, and support their community and economy.
We built an “Action Tank” to make direct impact and inform systemic change, enabling everyone the opportunity to succeed—with a focus on low-income and underserved populations and communities. . We identify exceptionally promising leaders and innovations. We provide long-term incubation to build, grow, and eventually spin off initiatives that directly impact underserved learners. We also develop policies and strategies to support people on the pathway to good, in-demand careers while helping employers fill in-demand jobs. We use these experiences and other research to inform our advising and our recommendations for philanthropy, systems change, and public policy. We do this work across three focus areas.
We help youth and early career adults access the skills and supports needed for high-opportunity jobs and careers
We seek to drive asset-based, inclusive economic growth, with transformative outcomes.
We help high school students prepare for success in college, careers, and life. We also help low- and moderate-income students apply to, enroll in, and graduate from well-matched, strong colleges.
We identify leaders and coalitions with extremely strong track records – and give them support and opportunities to create and build programs and initiatives. We help use insights from this work to inform our recommendations for philanthropy and policy. We provide funding, expert-enabled technical assistance, and other support, such as help recruiting leadership teams, forming key partnerships, and developing evaluation plans.
ADVANCING ECONOMIC AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY, AS WELL AS INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND MOBILITY IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD – BY BACKING EVIDENCE-BASED INITIATIVES AND INNOVATIONS
The $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge (PDF) is the marquee of EDA’s American Rescue Plan programs that aims to boost economic recovery from the pandemic and rebuild American communities…
The Good Jobs Challenge received applications totaling $6.4 billion in requested funds, with an average request of $12.7 million per applicant
America Achieves releases report with playbook to help states and U.S. territories develop their broadband workforce, a critical step on the path to extending internet access to tens of millions of people in rural and other low-income communities