Jobs for the Future Awarded $14.5M to Advance Economic Mobility for People with Records

Funding from the Justice and Mobility Fund will allow JFF to expand its work to promote education, training, and fair chance employment for people with records 

BOSTON, April 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Jobs for the Future (JFF), a national nonprofit driving transformation in the U.S. workforce and education systems, today announced a $14.5 million award from the Justice and Mobility Fund—a collaboration launched by The Ford Foundation and Blue Meridian Partners with support from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. This is a critical investment in JFF's work to advance economic mobility for the more than 77 million people across the nation with conviction and arrest records. 

"Jobs for the Future is committed to helping dismantle the systemic barriers that continuously exclude people with records from the kind of jobs that match their skills, capabilities and aspirations," said Maria Flynn, president and CEO of Jobs for the Future. "This investment from the Justice and Mobility Fund will allow JFF to deepen its efforts to create pathways for people impacted by the legal system by expanding talent development pipelines, partnering with employers to implement fair chance hiring practices, and influencing federal and state policies." 

Mass incarceration in the United States has had a profound impact on the economy, particularly in Black communities, where its effects are disproportionately felt. With one in three people in the United States having a record of arrest or conviction record, the U.S. economy cannot afford to exclude individuals with records from our workforce. Many of these individuals experience daunting challenges in their efforts to access quality jobs that promote economic advancement. JFF recognizes the urgent need to eliminate these barriers, many of which are rooted in systemic problems, and advocates for change through its Center for Justice & Economic Advancement.

"Most people leave prison with $20 to $50 and the phone number of a parole officer. They have little to no social support, need housing and health care, and often face the dual stigmas of racism and incarceration bias," said Lucretia Murphy, vice president and director of JFF's Center for Justice & Economic Advancement. "We share the Justice and Mobility Fund's commitment to scale the kind of solutions that remove barriers and unlock opportunities for quality jobs that transform lives for millions of people impacted by the legal system—helping people secure and succeed in quality jobs with family-sustaining wages is central to our mission."

Through its Center for Justice & Economic Advancement, JFF has launched several key initiatives aimed to drive economic advancement for people with records. These include the Fair Chance Corporate Cohort, an employer training program designed to support employers as they adopt and implement fair chance hiring practices, as well as JFF's Normalizing Education Resource Center which provides education practitioners who are establishing or updating postsecondary education in prison programs with access to tools and guides outlining best practices. Supporting both of these initiatives is JFF's Normalizing Opportunity advocacy campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the lifelong punishments people with records face.

"We are proud to partner with JFF in their mission to advance fair chance hiring practices," said Le'Ann Duran, senior director and co-lead of the Justice and Mobility Fund. "By investing in JFF, we are investing in a more equitable future where all individuals have the opportunity to thrive."

This award is the second significant gift from the Justice and Mobility Fund to JFF's Center for Justice & Economic Advancement. This grant will play a strategic role in advancing JFF's North Star goal of helping 75 million people facing systemic barriers to employment work in quality jobs by 2033. It will enable the Center to continue its vital work of ensuring that people who are currently and formerly incarcerated have access to education and training opportunities, and quality jobs, while also driving the Center closer to self-sufficiency.

For more information about the Center for Justice & Economic Advancement and its initiatives, visit cjea.jff.org.

About Jobs for the Future: 
Jobs for the Future (JFF) drives transformation of the U.S. education and workforce systems to achieve equitable economic advancement for all. www.jff.org.

About the Justice and Mobility Fund:
The Justice and Mobility Fund is a collaboration launched by The Ford Foundation and Blue Meridian Partners with support from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Leveraging Blue Meridian's pooled funding and performance-based investing model and the Ford Foundation's expertise in social justice grantmaking, the Justice and Mobility Fund presents the opportunity to make investments that can change the lives of generations. By investing the long-term, flexible capital that visionary social sector leaders need to build capacity and make lasting impact, the Justice and Mobility Fund brings significant resources to the field in order to boost economic mobility, advance racial equity, and scale the most effective solutions for people impacted by the criminal/legal system.

SOURCE JOBS FOR THE FUTURE INC