Supplemental Materials.
Overview
The workforce is a competitive and dynamic environment that requires skills, qualifications, and experience to succeed. However, many people face various barriers that prevent them from entering or advancing in the labor market. These barriers can be personal, social, economic, or institutional, and they can affect different groups of people differently.
These barriers can have negative consequences for individuals and society as a whole. They can reduce a person’s income potential, career satisfaction, and quality of life. They can also contribute to social problems such as unemployment, poverty, crime, or inequality.
The founders of the Foundation have owned a staffing company for over 20 years and have worked in the recruiting and human resources industry for over 30 years. During this time we have discovered many of the barriers to entry into the workforce are (relatively) small things that can be easily remedied, but without money or resources unemployed persons are unable to do so, thereby perpetuating the harms caused by unemployment.
The purpose of the Foundation is to help marginalized populations overcome these barriers by providing them with the tools that they need to become employed once they have the job offer.
Programs.
Pre-job requirements and purchases (clothing, uniforms, on-the job materials, tool boxes) are all examples that we’ve seen over the years that preclude otherwise employable people from taking jobs. Often times these relatively modest financial outlays prior to receiving a paycheck are the difference between starting a job and not. The Foundation seeks to overcome these obstacles in a way that does not put undue burden or embarrassment on a new employee.
One example of this are steel toed boots. To start working many factories and warehouses require that the employee provide their own steel toed boots. Prices for these boots run from $75 to over $200. For an unemployed person, having to purchase boots before working and before getting a paycheck often prohibits them from taking the job, thereby perpetuating the cycle of unemployment.
We are working on partnerships with – for example – shoe companies that would allow an individual to purchase a pair of shoes at a discounted rate (with the Foundation paying for the boots), or for the Foundation to provide the boots without cost to the employee.
The Foundation is coordinating similar programs with partners who can provide other such tools necessary for the applicant to accept an employment position such as computers, tools, uniforms, etc.
Need
Without stable financial resources, marginalized populations often find it challenging to obtain professional attire, find transportation to job interviews, or understand the process to identify a position that appropriately matches their experience and expectations. Individuals trying to navigate an ecosystem of employers, service providers, and training programs are often left in precarious or vulnerable situations.
We work with people daily who are able to navigate almost all of these obstacles only to come up short when it comes to the final requirements to start employment.
We have found that over 15% of our staffing company’s light industrial applicants (generally hourly rates less than $20/hour) are unable to start work without some sort of financial assistance for uniforms, certification, equipment, or transportation.
When we look at other marginalized applicants (immigrants, disabled, former inmates) the percentage of our staffing company applicants who are unable to overcome the initial financial requirements to start work increases significantly.
It is these needs that the Foundation will address through donations and earnings from the initial endowment. The provision of these activities is the sole focus of the Foundation.
Distribution to other Organizations
We do not fundraise for other organizations and the Foundation is not organized solely to contribute or fundraise for any specific entity. However, at the discretion of the Board of Directors we may, at times, choose to contribute to other organizations who share a similar mission or provide the tools necessary for employment but only if the contributions further our exempt status.