The Families and Workers Fund (also known as the Families + Workers Fund) is a left-of-center grantmaking organization fiscally sponsored by the Amalgamated Foundation, a donor-advised fund provider related to the formerly Service Employees International Union-owned Amalgamated Bank. Initially, the fund aimed to mitigate the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but has since expanded to support employment in environmentalist-aligned industries and roles. ^{1 2 3}

Background

The Families and Workers Fund was launched on April 14, 2020, by the Ford Foundation, Schmidt Futures, Open Society Foundations, JPB Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Amalgamated Foundation. The fund was launched as a grantmaking organization fiscally sponsored by the Amalgamated Foundation. The foundations seeded the Fund with an initial commitment of $7.1 million. According to a press release from the Ford Foundation, the fund was launched in response to the economic conditions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly hardships borne by workers, families, and severely affected communities. ⁴

Grantmaking Approach

According to a press release from the Ford Foundation, the Families and Workers Fund had a two-tier approach to grantmaking. The first tier facilitated direct cash payments and loans to individuals negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The second tier supported nonprofits, frontline groups, and advocacy organizations aiming to assist affected individuals and communities understand their access to benefits programs. ⁵

As of April 2024, in addition to initiatives associated with economic recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the fund has also launched a “Powering Climate and Infrastructure Careers for All” initiative aimed at supporting employment in environmentalist-aligned industries, jobs, and projects, focusing on the employment of minorities, women, and individuals without a college degree. ⁶

Funding

Major funders of the Families and Workers Fund include the fund’s fiscal sponsor, the Amalgamated Foundation, as well as the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Bernard and Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Edna McConnel Clark Foundation, Ford Foundation, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, James Irvine Foundation, JPB Foundation, Luminate, Roger I. and Ruth B. Macfarlane Foundation, Mackenzie Scott, Morgan Stanley, Omidyar Network, Open Society Foundation, Robin Hood, Rockefeller Foundation, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation, Schmidt Futures, Siegel Family Endowment, Skoll Foundation, StartSmall, Surdna Foundation, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation. ⁷

Grantees

Grant recipients of the Families and Workers Fund include Better Builder (an initiative of the Workers Defense Project), Results for America, National Domestic Workers Alliance, Resilience Force, Worker Financial Wellness Initiative (a partnership between JUST Capital, Financial Health Network, and the Good Jobs Institute), New America’s New Practice Lab, Workers Lab, Brookings Institution, and The Workshop. ⁸

Leadership

Executive Director

Rachel Korberg is the executive director and co-founder of the Families and Workers Fund. Previously, Korberg worked in leadership positions at the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation. Additionally, Korberg is the president of the board of the Stonewall Community Foundation. ⁹

Co-Chairs

Eric Braverman is a co-chair emeritus of the Families and Workers Fund. Previously, he was the CEO and founder of Schmidt Futures, CEO of Rex Group, CEO of the Clinton Foundation, partner and co-founder of McKinsey and Company’s government practice team, and an advisor on performance management for then-President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team in 2008. Previously, Braverman was a board member of the America’s Frontier Fund, Ready, and Arena Stage. ¹⁰

Darren Walker is the co-chair of the Families and Workers Fund as well as the president of the Ford Foundation; co-chair of New York City’s Mayoral Advisory Commission on City Art, Monuments, and Markers; and a member of the boards of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the National Gallery of Art, Carnegie Hall, the High Line, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Square, and Ralph Lauren. Additionally, Walker is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. ¹¹

Previously, Walker was a member of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Reimagining New York Commission, co-chair of NYC Census 2020, vice president of the Rockefeller Foundation, COO of the Abyssinian Development Corporation, member of the Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform, member of the United Nations International Labour Organization Global Commission on the Future of Work, co-founder of the US Impact Investing Alliance, and co-founder of the Presidents’ Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy. ¹²

Executive Council

The Families and Workers Fund’s executive council includes executives from its major funders, including Sarita Gupta, a co-founder of the Families and Workers Fund as well as the vice president of U.S. programs of the Ford Foundation; Anna Fink, a co-founder of the Families and Workers Fund as well as the executive director of the Amalgamated Foundation and senior vice president of Amalgamated Bank; Danielle Goonan, the managing director for economic policy, investments, and grantmaking, equity, and economic opportunity for the Rockefeller Foundation; Meeghan Prunity, a senior advisor to the Schusterman Family Philanthropies; Charles Fields, the vice president of program implementation for the James Irvine Foundation; Allison Harrington, the program manager of structural reforms for the Open Society Foundation; and Ryan Rippel, the director of economic mobility and opportunity for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s U.S. Economic Opportunity and Mobility Strategy. ¹³

1. “Ford and Leading Philanthropies Launch Fund to Support Low-Wage Workers Hardest Hit by COVID-19.” Ford Foundation. April 14, 2020. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://www.fordfoundation.org/news-and-stories/news-and-press/news/ford-and-leading-philanthropies-launch-fund-to-support-low-wage-workers-hardest-hit-by-covid-19/
2. “Ford and Leading Philanthropies Launch Fund to Support Low-Wage Workers Hardest Hit by COVID-19.” Ford Foundation. April 14, 2020. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://www.fordfoundation.org/news-and-stories/news-and-press/news/ford-and-leading-philanthropies-launch-fund-to-support-low-wage-workers-hardest-hit-by-covid-19/
3. “Powering Climate and Infrastructure Careers for All.” Families and Workers Fund. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://familiesandworkers.org/powering-climate-infrastructure-careers-for-all/
4. “Ford and Leading Philanthropies Launch Fund to Support Low-Wage Workers Hardest Hit by COVID-19.” Ford Foundation. April 14, 2020. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://www.fordfoundation.org/news-and-stories/news-and-press/news/ford-and-leading-philanthropies-launch-fund-to-support-low-wage-workers-hardest-hit-by-covid-19/
5. “Ford and Leading Philanthropies Launch Fund to Support Low-Wage Workers Hardest Hit by COVID-19.” Ford Foundation. April 14, 2020. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://www.fordfoundation.org/news-and-stories/news-and-press/news/ford-and-leading-philanthropies-launch-fund-to-support-low-wage-workers-hardest-hit-by-covid-19/
6. “Powering Climate and Infrastructure Careers for All.” Families and Workers Fund. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://familiesandworkers.org/powering-climate-infrastructure-careers-for-all/
7. “Funders.” Families and Workers Fund. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://familiesandworkers.org/funders/
8. “The Families and Workers Fund 2021 Annual Report.” Families and Workers Fund. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://familiesandworkers.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Families-and-Workers-Fund-Annual-Report-2021-1.pdf
9. “About Us.” Families and Workers Fund. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://familiesandworkers.org/about/
10. “About Us.” Families and Workers Fund. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://familiesandworkers.org/about/
11. “About Us.” Families and Workers Fund. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://familiesandworkers.org/about/
12.  “About Us.” Families and Workers Fund. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://familiesandworkers.org/about/
13. “About Us.” Families and Workers Fund. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://familiesandworkers.org/about/