WorkRise is pleased to announce that the online application portal for their new request for proposals (RFP) is now open. The RFP solicits pilot projects that test and evaluate public- and private-sector interventions to strengthen economic security and mobility for low-wage workers in the US labor market. WorkRise will invest up to $2.5 million across research projects that generate high-quality, actionable evidence on real-world interventions that leverage data science, improve job quality standards at small businesses, reskill workers at risk of displacement, or create alternative pathways into high-wage jobs. Please visit Workwise website for a full description of our funding priorities and eligible applicants. Pilots must include a partnership between a research team and one or more practitioners, employers, or policymakers. The research team may be housed inside the institution hosting the intervention (e.g., a nonprofit with an in-house research arm and a policy or practice arm) or at an outside institution (e.g., a university or research organization). However, researchers must have independence to publish their results, regardless of findings, in a manner transparent to outside audiences.
The institution implementing the intervention may include one or more employers, service providers (nonprofit or for-profit), unions or worker centers, advocacy organizations, or government agencies (local, state, or federal). For example, a nonprofit could partner with a group of regional employers to test a new service offered in a workplace setting, with evaluation performed by a university-based researcher. Or a research organization could partner with a local government piloting a new program targeted at workers in a priority industry, with recruitment performed by a union.
Please submit your applications by April 8, 6:00 p.m. EDT. Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend an informational webinar on March 16 at 2:00 p.m. EDT to learn more about the WorkRise 2022 Pilot Projects RFP.