Workforce

Event Recap: JFF Horizons 2023

Our focus on innovative finance options and work-based learning programs stems from our commitment to creating an equitable innovation economy, one that enables all people and their communities to achieve economic prosperity. It’s with this frame that members of our team attended Jobs for the Future’s (JFF) Horizons conference last week.
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More Light, Less Heat for Income-Contingent Funding Models 

Income sharing agreements (ISAs) and other income-contingent funding models for postsecondary education and skills development have made plenty of headlines over the last few years in ways good and bad. On the eve of JFF’s annual Horizons conference, we sat down with Ethan Pollack, senior director of the Financing the Future initiative to understand the promise and pitfalls of income-contingent funding models, how providers can move to more student-centered models, and why stakeholders might not be as far apart as we might think.
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Case Studies in Manufacturing Innovation: Building Resilience Through Career Transitions in Orlando, FL, and Centering Community for Economic Mobility in Baton Rouge, LA

The second and third case studies in a series from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of City and Regional Planning and the Urban Manufacturing Alliance examine partnerships between Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) programs, workforce intermediaries, and other community stakeholders to create strong manufacturing sectors that offer well-paying careers in three urban regions.
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ICA Fund: Building an Economy That Works for All by Accelerating Small Businesses

Communities of color and women have fewer opportunities for wealth creation. ICA Fund addresses this problem by providing coaching, connections, and capital to grow Bay Area businesses while also closing racial and gender wealth gaps. We sat down with ICA Fund CEO Allison Kelly to discuss ICA Fund’s model, how it differs from traditional finance institutions, and where they're headed in 2023+
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Event Recap: Siegel’s 2023 AMA

On Wednesday, February 1, VP and Head of Grantmaking Joshua Elder and SVP and Head of Research John Irons hosted an "Ask Me Anything" (AMA), in which they provided an overview of our 2023 approach, renewed grantmaking interests, and other key updates to our work.
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