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CONTACT:
Jaclynn Coussa
Associate Director of Marketing & Communications
jcoussa@redf.org
(415) 510-6027
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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The 2025 grantees, selected for their focus on upskilling, will receive a one-year grant paired with technical assistance.
San Francisco, CA (December 18, 2024) – As a core component of its mission to build a more inclusive economy, REDF is pleased to announce $900K in one-year grants to nine high-impact employment social enterprises (ESEs) through the organization’s Growth Portfolio program.
As a pioneering venture philanthropy leading the employment social enterprise movement, REDF is proud to invest in these powerful organizations that drive economic inclusion and mobility. Selected ESEs operate transformative workforce training programs that provide individuals with opportunities to earn an income while acquiring advanced skills that help build economic power for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Members of this year’s cohort include:
- Chrysalis (Los Angeles, CA)
- Conservation Corps North Bay (Novato, CA)
- EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute (Cleveland, OH)
- GLIDE Foundation (San Francisco, CA)
- Goodwill of Silicon Valley (San Jose, CA)
- More Than Words (Waltham, MA)
- Revolution Workshop (Chicago, IL)
- The MADE Institute (Flint, MI)
- Vehicles for Change (Halethorpe, MD)
“We’re thrilled to back these nine organizations whose distinct approaches to upskilling help people attain quality jobs and drive upward mobility,” said Whitney Lovell, Associate Director of the Growth Portfolio. “We’re eager to learn more about their program models, and to support them in learning from the brilliance of their peers in the cohort.”
Grantee Revolution Workshop operates a construction pre-apprenticeship training program and employs alumni of that program in its custom furniture manufacturing business. Manny Rodriguez, founding executive director shares, “The Growth Portfolio is critical because it allows us to expand our reach as we help close the wealth gaps for communities that have been systemically oppressed for centuries.”
Each ESE will be part of the learning cohort and receive one year of unrestricted grant funding totaling $100K, hands-on coaching and thought partnership, and capacity building services with a particular focus on strengthening each organization’s upskilling program. REDF will deepen its expertise in how ESEs can leverage upskilling to support workers facing barriers to employment secure quality jobs that foster meaningful economic mobility and share valuable insights to strengthen the impact of the broader ESE field.
ABOUT REDF
REDF invests in employment social enterprises (ESEs) — businesses that provide jobs, training, and support to people breaking through barriers to employment. REDF partners with these businesses and the entrepreneurs who lead them — providing capital, capacity, and community — to amplify their transformative impact. Since 1997, REDF has invested in 302 ESEs in 41 states and DC. Collectively these partnerships have helped 133,500 people enter the workforce and generated more than $2.5 billion in revenue that is reinvested in employee success — creating a ripple effect that strengthens families and communities and helps build an economy that works. For everyone.
For more information, visit www.redf.org.
