REDF helps tenacious entrepreneurs build double-bottom-line businesses.
The businesses we back, called “employment social enterprises,” exist to create jobs and economic mobility for overlooked talent across the country.
These companies produce and sell high-quality products and services, then reinvest their profits into their employees and communities. We partner with the social entrepreneurs who lead these businesses, amplifying their success and the success of the people they employ.
10 million people are shut out of the economy
Our economy works best when it works for everyone.
Despite deep wells of talent and the drive to succeed, millions of Americans remain stuck: sidelined from access and opportunity due to experiences like homelessness and incarceration. These individuals face steep barriers to employment — barriers often caused and compounded by racial inequities embedded in our systems.
The enterprises we back help folks to overcome these barriers. Below please find the portion of our portfolio honing in on each focus population:
74%
justice system involvement
63%
homelessness or housing instability
48%
substance use challenges
46%
mental health challenges
43%
opportunity youth or emerging adult
37%
domestic violence or human trafficking
14%
refugee or asylee
Great Talent, Revealed
Since 1997, we’ve helped amplify the success of hundreds of employment social enterprises and the people they employ.
Here are a few:
Catalytic growth to build the field
In this strategic period, which started in 2021, we’ve expanded our reach in key regions, partnering with 231 enterprises in 41 states and DC that put more than 59,000 individuals on a solid pathway to competitive employment.
Commitments in Action
We live out our commitments to equity by investing exclusively in employment social enterprises (uniquely designed to ensure all people have the jobs and support they need to realize their full potential), prioritizing entrepreneurs of color and with the lived experience of whom they employ, and deepening our DEI learning within our own team.
Do you run a social impact business that hires overlooked talent?
We’d love to learn more about you and your potential fit with our programs. Fill out our interest form to start the conversation, and learn more.