Economic Mobility

We invest in transformative strategies that advance employment outcomes, pathways to income generation, and financial health.

Building a more inclusive and prosperous economy.

The backbone of the American economy has always been its workforce. Our communities flourish when workers have access to good jobs, the chance to expand and refine their skills, and opportunities to climb the economic ladder.

At New Profit, we think about Economic Mobility holistically. We work to elevate the individual agency and innate strengths of people and communities. We understand that economic opportunity is a function of systems and structures that either lift people up or hold people down. And we recognize that meaningful change requires that we collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders.

To that end, we invest in leaders with deep connections to the people they serve, who use human-centered approaches that appreciate the intersections of the various systems that drive economic mobility, and who seek to influence and reimagine those systems through their work.

We bring together a broad coalition of actors that are representative of America’s multiracial, intergenerational, cross-sector workforce—among them the social entrepreneurs, philanthropic and business leaders, and policymakers and community stakeholders committed to a future of work that works for everyone.

Economic Mobility Priority Areas

Pathways to Income Generation

We support solutions that lead to gainful employment including innovations to increase equity in the labor market, and solutions that promote skills-based hiring, living wage jobs, and worker power.

Social Drivers of Economic Opportunity

We seek innovators addressing enabling conditions that influence labor market participation and economic advancement including increasing access to affordable childcare, transportation, and housing.

Financial Health & Wealth Creation

We invest in strategies that build long-term wealth such as reparations and guaranteed income solutions, increasing access to capital for entrepreneurship, and exploring ideas of community ownership.

Report

How We Expanded Our Pipeline of Economic Mobility Organizations by 25x

Philanthropic resources often fail to reach the most impactful solutions. This is driven in part by the limitations of traditional funder networks and ineffective practices. By collaborating with leaders across the country to identify new ways to find economic mobility organizations, we were able to expand our pipeline of eligible organizations by 25 times.

This report shares the process we developed with our partners, including guidance so that other philanthropic organizations can replicate this effort.

Explore Our Findings