Non-profit

Family Values @ Work

Website:

familyvaluesatwork.org/

Location:

MILWAUKEE, WI

Tax ID:

27-0321696

Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2017):

Revenue: $2,041,872
Expenses: $4,479,045
Assets: $2,054,448

Formation:

2003

Executive Director:

Wendy Chun-Hoon

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

Family Values at Work (stylized Family Values @ Work or FV@W) is a left-of-center, labor union-funded advocacy organization that provides programming support for coalitions in various states pushing to expand government-mandated paid leave programs. 1 Founded in 2003, Family Values at Work maintains groups in 27 states and works to implement state and federal policy to expand paid leave programs, successfully advocating for the expansion of government paid leave mandates in 9 different states and Washington, D.C. 2

At the federal level, FV@W is a staunch supporter of the FAMILY Act, a bill aiming to require employers to provide all American workers 12 weeks of leave per year with a federal subsidy of 66% of income. 3 FV@W helped to start a national coalition of left-of-center organizations called Paid Leave for All to support the passage of the FAMILY Act and other left-progressive leave-mandate policies. 4 5

Despite claiming to be nonpartisan, FV@W has a history of criticizing conservative policy while maintaining affiliations with left-of-center organizing groups. 67 FV@W has an office within the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organization (AFL-CIO) labor union federation and openly professes its affiliation with some of the most powerful and left-wing labor unions in the country, including the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and United Steelworkers (USW). 8 9 10 11

Most of FV@W’s activity comes in the form of providing grants to various left-of-center labor organizations. 12 Despite claiming to fund local, grassroots organizations, most of FV@W’s grant funds in 2018 went to nationally backed, left-of-center organizations, including the 9to5, National Association of Working Women, the People’s Action Institute, and the Tides Foundation. 13

History

Family Values @ Work was founded in 2003 to provide a national network for state and local action groups working to implement left-of-center policy to mandate paid family leave programs across the United States. 14 Backed by the left-of-center Ford and Annie E. Casey Foundations, FV@W aimed to create a network to raise “national funds” for grassroots advocacy groups across the country, in addition to centralizing messaging around paid family leave and paving the way for national regulation of family leave programs. 15

Since its founding, FV@W has grown to include over 2,000 member organizations in 27 states, pushing for left-of-center legislation on Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FMLI) and Earned Sick Days (ESD). 16 In doing so, FV@W has claimed that the failure to create extensive national mandates and publicly funded paid leave programs exacerbates “racial and gender inequities.” 17

FV@W “raises funds” for a variety of state coalitions and “links state groups to each other and to the wider movement for economic justice and good jobs.” 18 Aside from funding state-based advocacy organizations, FV@W has also created educational programs and implemented “know your rights” trainings to promote the usage of paid-leave programs. 19 20

State Policy Advocacy

FV@W operates primarily through a state-based network of organizations and individuals to push for publicly funded paid family leave programs. FV@W claims credit for the adoption of paid leave mandates in 50 jurisdictions and family and medical leave insurance programs in 9 states and Washington, D.C. since its founding. 21

Among its state success stories, FV@W counts expanding unemployment insurance to part-time workers, introducing minimum paid leave programs, and extending paid sick day programs so that employees can use sick days to care for family members. 22 Aside from paid family leave policies, FV@W has worked to implement additional left-of-center policies in states across the country, including campaigns to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour and to end tax credits to employers offering paid family leave. 23

In 2019, FV@W hosted its annual “Gamechanger” awards ceremony honoring those who pushed for left-of-center family leave policy at the headquarters of the left-wing AFL-CIO. 24 The awards honored two Democratic state senators from Connecticut for pushing for a left-wing leave program that established a payroll tax for all workers in the state of Connecticut in order to create a publicly funded safety net to cover up to 12 weeks of wages should a private-sector worker need to take time off for caretaking. 25 Both legislators honored by FV@W have ties to labor unions, with one having worked as an organizer for United Auto Workers. 26

Federal Policy Activity

Though FV@W primarily serves as a financial clearinghouse for state-based coalitions, it has also been involved in pushing for left-of-center federal leave policy, most notably the proposed FAMILY Act. 27 The Act, if passed, would support 12 weeks of paid leave for workers across the United States, replacing 66% of worker income with a government subsidy during the leave. 28 The Act also sought to expand access to paid leave to nearly all workers in the United States, using the same work requirements as the Social Security Disability Insurance program. 29

FV@W helped to start a national coalition of left-of-center organizations called Paid Leave for All to support the passage of the FAMILY Act and other progressive leave policies. 30 31 Coalition members include the AFL-CIO, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the union-funded Economic Policy Institute. 32

FV@W itself has promoted various iterations of the FAMILY Act with several campaigns, blog articles, and white papers since 2013, with former director Ellen Bravo writing that the fund proposed by the FAMILY Act “works,” citing extensive publicly funded leave programs in California and New Jersey. 33 Further FV@W materials advocated for the FAMILY Act using claims that, “Paid leave can lead to shorter hospital stays,” and that, “Replacement income provided by the FAMILY Act goes right back into the local economy.” 34 Aside from speaking on behalf of the FAMILY Act, FV@W organized grassroots campaigns to support the bill, publishing a letter template for supporters to send to elected officials in a bid to pass the legislation. 35

Aside from the FAMILY Act, FV@W has also supported the Healthy Families Act (HFA), a bill which would mandate that all workers receive up to 7 paid sick days per year. 36

Criticism of Trump Administration Leave Plans

In 2019, when President Donald Trump and several United States senators from both political parties expressed support for a bill which would provide paid family leave through a federal loan program, FV@W criticized the bill for being too narrow in scope by not covering additional reasons why a worker may need time off, including caring for relatives. 37 When the Trump administration included six weeks of paid leave for new parents in its proposed budget, FV@W launched a similar criticism. 38

FV@W has also used the issue of paid family leave to take shots at conservative policy more generally. Despite support from the Trump administration for increasing paid family leave programs, FV@W officials used the organization’s advocacy for the FAMILY Act to criticize Republican policy more broadly. 39 When asked about the White House’s 2019 summit on paid family leave, Bravo claimed that it was merely an attempt to “divert attention from this administration’s anti-family policies – the images of children wrenched from their families, the cuts in food stamps, school lunches and healthcare.” 40

FV@W has further criticized Republican lawmakers for preventing legislation around paid sick days from being passed. 41 In September of 2018, the Republican-led legislature in Michigan passed a law mandating paid sick days, blocking a similar ballot initiative from going to a vote that November. 42 FV@W officials speculated that the legislature would roll back the measure and only passed it to avoid a ballot initiative, with Bravo claiming that the move was “another form of voter suppression.” 43

COVID-19 Activism

FV@W seized on the COVID-19 pandemic to push paid family leave policy through Congress, with executive director Wendy Chun-Hoon noting that the pandemic was the group’s “biggest opening to advance federal policy.” 44 Rather than reopening businesses and employment, Chun-Hoon called on political officials to adopt widespread leave policy in order to create “a new economy founded on an infrastructure of caring, equity, and respect.” 45

At the outset of the pandemic, FV@W claimed that paid family leave would prevent “millions of people in the U.S.” from being exposed to the virus. 46 Bravo claimed in a statement that most people without paid sick leave were “low-wage service employees,” arguing that the people who “handle our food and our groceries” would continue to work if they became infected with the virus to promote the expansion of permanent paid sick leave programs. 47

Grantmaking Programs

Most of FV@W’s activity comes from providing grants to various left-of-center labor union-aligned organizations that support the coalition’s goals. FV@W reported $4.1 million in expenses in 2019, over $2.2 million of which came from grants to other organizing groups. 48

Despite claiming to fund local, grassroots organizations, most of FV@W’s grant funding in 2018 went to national left-leaning organizations. In 2018, FV@W provided more funding to 9to5 National Association of Working Women than any other organization, amounting to $457,500 in grants in 2018 alone. 49 FV@W also provided $150,000 to the national Economic Opportunity Institute, $150,000 to the Coalition for Social Justice, and $75,000 to the People’s Action Institute. 50 FV@W further provided funding to left-of-center organizations not directly related to the group’s overall mission, including $20,000 to the Tides Foundation and $50,000 to the National Hispanic Coalition. 51

Aside from giving to established organizations, FV@W has also made contributions to organizations to support particular labor initiatives. 52 In 2011, the Campaign for a Healthy Denver launched an initiative that would require all businesses, including those with less than ten workers, to provide paid sick days even for part-time employees. 53 The radical measure was opposed by individuals from across the political spectrum, including  then-Governor John Hickenlooper, a Democrat. 54 The Campaign for a Healthy Denver received $75,300 in non-in-kind contributions, $75,000 of which came from FV@W alone. 55

People and Funding

Though FV@W is not required to disclose its funding sources, it has received substantial contributions from left-of-center foundations. The Ford Foundation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation provided seed funding for the organization, and the Rockefeller Family Fund has also substantially contributed to FV@W. 56 57 FV@W is supported by a small, concentrated group of just 130 entities as of 2018, with just $96,000 of the organization’s $9.2 million in funding coming from individual donors. 58 59

Despite being legally nonpartisan given its 501(c)(3) status, FV@W is supported by a range of left-of-center organizations, most notably the AFL-CIO labor union federation. 60 Though FV@W has its own headquarters in Milwaukee, the group maintains an office within AFL-CIO’s headquarters in Washington D.C. 61 62

FV@W is not shy about promoting its involvement with left-of-center labor organizations, partnering with the Labor Project for Working Families (LPWF) to increase “the visibility and engagement of labor unions” in FV@W efforts. 63 FV@W credits labor unions for its success, claiming that organized labor has “played a key role” in pushing for left-of-center paid leave policies. 64 LPWF includes members from some of the largest left-of-center unions in the United States, including AFL-CIO, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). 65

Wendy Chun-Hoon currently works as executive director of FV@W. 66 Hoon has a history of working with left-of-center organizing communities, previously working as the associate director of the Open Society Foundations-funded Special Fund for Poverty Alleviation. 67 Former executive director and current strategic advisor Ellen Bravo previously worked as national director of 9to5 and helped to found FV@W. 68

References

  1. “About Us.” Family Values @ Work, January 6, 2020. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/about-us/.
  2. “About Us.” Family Values @ Work, January 6, 2020. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/about-us/.
  3. Gaby-Biegel, Jared. “As Momentum Builds for Paid Family Leave, Much Work Remains.” Common Dreams, February 5, 2020. https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/02/05/momentum-builds-paid-family-leave-much-work-remains.
  4. “About Us.” Paid Leave for All, May 29, 2020. https://paidleaveforall.org/about-us/.
  5. “Members and Supporters.” Paid Leave for All, December 12, 2019. https://paidleaveforall.org/about-us/members-and-supporters/.
  6. Greenhouse, Steven. “Progressive Groups Mount Largest Ever Campaign for Paid Family Leave Law.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, December 10, 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/10/us-paid-family-leave-law-progressive-groups-campaign.
  7. “Members and Supporters.” Paid Leave for All, December 12, 2019. https://paidleaveforall.org/about-us/members-and-supporters/.
  8. “About Us.” Family Values @ Work, January 6, 2020. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/about-us/.
  9. “Contact Us.” AFL-CIO. Accessed July 25, 2020. https://aflcio.org/contact.
  10. “About Us.” Family Values @ Work, January 6, 2020. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/about-us/.
  11. “National Board.” Labor Project for Working Families. Accessed July 25, 2020. http://www.working-families.org/about/nationalboard.html.
  12. “Family Values at Work a Multi-State Consortium Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax, Form 990. Part IX.
  13. “Family Values at Work a Multi-State Consortium Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax, Form 990. Part IX.
  14. “About Us.” Family Values @ Work, January 6, 2020. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/about-us/.
  15. “About Us.” Family Values @ Work, January 6, 2020. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/about-us/.
  16. “About Us.” Family Values @ Work, January 6, 2020. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/about-us/.
  17. “About Us.” Family Values @ Work, January 6, 2020. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/about-us/.
  18. “About Us.” Family Values @ Work, January 6, 2020. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/about-us/.
  19. “About Us.” Family Values @ Work, January 6, 2020. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/about-us/.
  20. “Know Your Rights.” Family Values @ Work, July 9, 2020. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/rights/.
  21. “About Us.” Family Values @ Work, January 6, 2020. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/about-us/.
  22. “Family Values @ Work: 16 Years of Changing the Game.” Family Values at Work. 2019. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/docs/FVAW-2019-Program-Book.pdf
  23. “Family Values @ Work: 16 Years of Changing the Game.” Family Values at Work. 2019. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/docs/FVAW-2019-Program-Book.pdf
  24. Munson, Emilie. “CT Lawmakers Who Passed Family Leave Law Win Recognition in D.C.” The Middletown Press, October 16, 2019. https://www.middletownpress.com/middletown/article/CT-lawmakers-who-passed-family-leave-law-win-14539856.php.
  25. Munson, Emilie. “CT Lawmakers Who Passed Family Leave Law Win Recognition in D.C.” The Middletown Press, October 16, 2019. https://www.middletownpress.com/middletown/article/CT-lawmakers-who-passed-family-leave-law-win-14539856.php.
  26. Munson, Emilie. “CT Lawmakers Who Passed Family Leave Law Win Recognition in D.C.” The Middletown Press, October 16, 2019. https://www.middletownpress.com/middletown/article/CT-lawmakers-who-passed-family-leave-law-win-14539856.php.
  27. Gaby-Biegel, Jared. “As Momentum Builds for Paid Family Leave, Much Work Remains.” Common Dreams, February 5, 2020. https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/02/05/momentum-builds-paid-family-leave-much-work-remains.
  28. Gaby-Biegel, Jared. “As Momentum Builds for Paid Family Leave, Much Work Remains.” Common Dreams, February 5, 2020. https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/02/05/momentum-builds-paid-family-leave-much-work-remains.
  29. Gaby-Biegel, Jared. “As Momentum Builds for Paid Family Leave, Much Work Remains.” Common Dreams, February 5, 2020. https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/02/05/momentum-builds-paid-family-leave-much-work-remains.
  30. “About Us.” Paid Leave for All, May 29, 2020. https://paidleaveforall.org/about-us/.
  31. “Members and Supporters.” Paid Leave for All, December 12, 2019. https://paidleaveforall.org/about-us/members-and-supporters/.
  32. “Members and Supporters.” Paid Leave for All, December 12, 2019. https://paidleaveforall.org/about-us/members-and-supporters/.
  33. Bravo, Ellen. “Value Families with the FAMILY Act.” Family Values @ Work, December 12, 2013. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/value-families-with-the-family-act/.
  34. Bravo, Ellen. “Value Families with the FAMILY Act.” Family Values @ Work, December 12, 2013. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/value-families-with-the-family-act/.
  35. “Take Action Now: Protect Workers’ Rights.” The Nation, December 17, 2019. https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/take-action-now-protect-workers-rights/.
  36. “Issues: Primary Advocacy Areas.” Family Values @ Work, June 5, 2018. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/issues/.
  37. Kwong, Jessica. “Ivanka Trump Is ‘Shortsighted’ in Supporting New Paid Leave Plan That Fails to Meet Family Needs, Advocates Say.” Newsweek, April 4, 2019. https://www.newsweek.com/ivanka-trump-paid-family-leave-1387785.
  38. Kwong, Jessica. “Ivanka Trump Is ‘Shortsighted’ in Supporting New Paid Leave Plan That Fails to Meet Family Needs, Advocates Say.” Newsweek, April 4, 2019. https://www.newsweek.com/ivanka-trump-paid-family-leave-1387785.
  39. Greenhouse, Steven. “Progressive Groups Mount Largest Ever Campaign for Paid Family Leave Law.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, December 10, 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/10/us-paid-family-leave-law-progressive-groups-campaign.
  40. Greenhouse, Steven. “Progressive Groups Mount Largest Ever Campaign for Paid Family Leave Law.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, December 10, 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/10/us-paid-family-leave-law-progressive-groups-campaign.
  41. Alvarez, Alayna. “As More Cities Push for Paid Sick Leave, States Push Back.” The Pew Charitable Trusts, September 24, 2018. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2018/09/24/as-more-cities-push-for-paid-sick-leave-states-push-back.
  42. Alvarez, Alayna. “As More Cities Push for Paid Sick Leave, States Push Back.” The Pew Charitable Trusts, September 24, 2018. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2018/09/24/as-more-cities-push-for-paid-sick-leave-states-push-back.
  43. Alvarez, Alayna. “As More Cities Push for Paid Sick Leave, States Push Back.” The Pew Charitable Trusts, September 24, 2018. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2018/09/24/as-more-cities-push-for-paid-sick-leave-states-push-back.
  44. Katcher, Robin. “Leading toward a Transformed Future in a Disrupted Present.” Non Profit News . Nonprofit Quarterly, June 11, 2020. https://nonprofitquarterly.org/leading-toward-a-transformed-future-in-a-disrupted-present/.
  45. Katcher, Robin. “Leading toward a Transformed Future in a Disrupted Present.” Non Profit News . Nonprofit Quarterly, June 11, 2020. https://nonprofitquarterly.org/leading-toward-a-transformed-future-in-a-disrupted-present/.
  46. Szal, Roxy. “In Response to Coronavirus, Women Workers and Families Need Emergency Paid Sick Leave and Food Stamp Protections.” Ms. Magazine, July 7, 2020. https://msmagazine.com/2020/03/10/in-response-to-coronavirus-women-workers-and-families-need-emergency-paid-sick-leave-and-food-stamp-protections/.
  47. Brown, Roz. “First COVID-19 Cases in NM; Pandemic Highlights Lack of Paid Sick Leave.” Public News Service, March 12, 2020. https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2020-03-12/livable-wages-working-families/first-covid-19-cases-in-nm-pandemic-highlights-lack-of-paid-sick-leave/a69524-1.
  48. “Family Values at Work a Multi-State Consortium Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax, Form 990. Part IX.
  49. “Family Values at Work a Multi-State Consortium Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax, Form 990. Schedule I, Part II.
  50. “Family Values at Work a Multi-State Consortium Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax, Form 990. Schedule I, Part II.
  51. “Family Values at Work a Multi-State Consortium Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax, Form 990. Schedule I, Part II.
  52. Hoover, Tim. “Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper Decries Paid-Sick-Leave Push.” The Denver Post, May 3, 2016. https://www.denverpost.com/2011/09/08/colorado-gov-john-hickenlooper-decries-paid-sick-leave-push/.
  53. Hoover, Tim. “Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper Decries Paid-Sick-Leave Push.” The Denver Post, May 3, 2016. https://www.denverpost.com/2011/09/08/colorado-gov-john-hickenlooper-decries-paid-sick-leave-push/.
  54. Hoover, Tim. “Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper Decries Paid-Sick-Leave Push.” The Denver Post, May 3, 2016. https://www.denverpost.com/2011/09/08/colorado-gov-john-hickenlooper-decries-paid-sick-leave-push/.
  55. Hoover, Tim. “Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper Decries Paid-Sick-Leave Push.” The Denver Post, May 3, 2016. https://www.denverpost.com/2011/09/08/colorado-gov-john-hickenlooper-decries-paid-sick-leave-push/.
  56. “About Us.” Family Values @ Work, January 6, 2020. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/about-us/.
  57. Hoover, Tim. “Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper Decries Paid-Sick-Leave Push.” The Denver Post, May 3, 2016. https://www.denverpost.com/2011/09/08/colorado-gov-john-hickenlooper-decries-paid-sick-leave-push/.
  58. “Family Values at Work a Multi-State Consortium Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax, Form 990. Schedule A, Part VI.
  59. “Family Values at Work a Multi-State Consortium Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt fromIncome Tax, Form 990. Part I, Line 8
  60. “About Us.” Family Values @ Work, January 6, 2020. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/about-us/.
  61. “About Us.” Family Values @ Work, January 6, 2020. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/about-us/.
  62. “Contact Us.” AFL-CIO. Accessed July 25, 2020. https://aflcio.org/contact.
  63. “About Us.” Family Values @ Work, January 6, 2020. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/about-us/.
  64. “About Us.” Family Values @ Work, January 6, 2020. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/about-us/.
  65. “National Board.” Labor Project for Working Families. Accessed July 25, 2020. http://www.working-families.org/about/nationalboard.html.
  66. “Team.” Family Values @ Work, June 3, 2020. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/about-us/team/.
  67. “Team.” Family Values @ Work, June 3, 2020. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/about-us/team/.
  68. “Team.” Family Values @ Work, June 3, 2020. https://familyvaluesatwork.org/about-us/team/.

Directors, Employees & Supporters

  1. Ellen Bravo
    Co-Director
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: August 1, 2009

  • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2017 Dec Form 990 $2,041,872 $4,479,045 $2,054,448 $187,561 N $2,002,833 $30,550 $5,755 $279,667
    2016 Dec Form 990 $7,205,407 $3,958,816 $4,565,115 $261,055 N $7,171,454 $0 $4,273 $299,307
    2015 Dec Form 990 $3,636,516 $3,665,769 $1,248,384 $190,915 N $3,628,248 $0 $2,153 $162,000 PDF
    2014 Dec Form 990 $3,780,162 $3,607,806 $1,226,036 $139,314 N $3,766,189 $0 $1,216 $139,583 PDF
    2013 Dec Form 990 $1,826,481 $3,475,710 $1,026,529 $112,163 N $1,592,469 $228,000 $1,097 $139,000 PDF
    2012 Dec Form 990 $3,242,970 $2,703,088 $2,762,233 $198,638 N $3,241,400 $0 $1,799 $135,000 PDF
    2011 Dec Form 990 $3,108,571 $2,843,647 $2,062,329 $38,616 N $3,106,952 $1,603 $0 $100,000 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Family Values @ Work

    207 E BUFFALO ST STE 211
    MILWAUKEE, WI 53202-5758