Our Vision

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.

Our Investments

10 million people are shut out of the economy

Our economy works best when it works for everyone.

The enterprises we support provide people with meaningful job opportunities and a fresh start — helping them build skills, achieve stability, and make valuable contributions to their communities and the broader economy.

Below, you’ll see the portion of our portfolio that concentrates on each focus population:

81%

justice system involvement

76%

homelessness or housing instability

55%

substance use challenges

44%

mental health challenges

50%

opportunity youth or emerging adult

25%

survivors of domestic violence

19%

refugee or asylee

10%

survivors of trafficking

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 enterprises in 42 states and DC that put more than 83,100 individuals on a solid pathway to competitive employment.

Commitments in Action

We invest exclusively in employment social enterprises, prioritizing entrepreneurs who share the lived experience of those they employ, believing that those most proximate to the challenge are often the most innovative at identifying solutions that endure. And we do our work with a lens of ensuring everyone has the access and opportunity to thrive.

About our DEI commitment