ABOUT US WHAT WE DO KEY INITIATIVES PUBLICATIONS MEMBERS
ABOUT US
The Baltimore Workforce Funders Collaborative is a group of private and public funders established to support the alignment and pooling of resources around common workforce development goals and strategies. The BWFC is hosted by Maryland Philanthropy Network and is a signed partner of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions.
Vision: We envision the Baltimore region as a place of equity and shared prosperity, where all communities and workers can access employment that brings dignity and enables families to thrive and build wealth.
Mission: The BWFC is a collective committed to advancing equity, job quality and systems change efforts that lead to family-sustaining wages, strengthened communities, and a vibrant local economy.
We Value:
Racial Equity, Justice and Inclusion: The systematic fair treatment of all people through transformative and reparative action as the foundation of our work, resulting in prosperity for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color who have been excluded from the benefits of the American economy.
Harnessing the Power of the Collective: The amplified and increased impact that occurs when we bring our ideas, expertise, and resources together as a group.
Continuous Learning: The importance of an ongoing journey as a collective includes personal, professional, and organizational growth for Collaborative members, learning from grantees, policymakers, community, and individuals with lived experience.
Courage to Take Risks: The responsibility to show up as a leader in support of unemployed and underemployed residents and the willingness to support early innovation in the field.
Trust: The commitment to being honest with each other, stakeholders, partners, and grantees; and to strive to achieve transparency and integrity in our decision making and grantmaking.
Our Roles:
The BWFC is comprised of private and public funders. Together our primary roles in this work are to:
- Provide resources and thought partnership to support strategies and tactics that are aligned with the BWFC’s mission and vision,
- Help increase overall investment by aggregating investments, attracting external resources, and forging partnerships,
- Take risks to catalyze and incubate new approaches and ideas,
- Create and sustain local momentum to change narratives, expand practices, and improve policies to support workforce equity,
- Drive aligned grantmaking and collective action, and
- Share learnings to help improve outcomes and support our grantees.
WHAT WE DO: STRATEGIC AND OPERATING FRAMEWORK
This document sets forth our vision, mission, and set of values. It recognizes the rich history of the BWFC dating back to 2006 and presents our strategic principles, pillars, and tactics for the future. This framework also lays out a plan for how the Collaborative is structured to operate.
CLICK HERE TO READ OUR STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK
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GUIDING STRATEGIC PRINCIPLES |
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Race should not be a determinant of one’s employment outcomes or wealth. We recognize and work to dismantle systemic racism, bias, and anti-blackness. |
Employers are essential partners in this work. Advancing worker wellbeing and closing racial wealth gaps often requires changes in employer practice. |
Those who do the work of providing services and solutions are our partners in this work and we, as funders, commit to listening to these partners and approach them with humility and respect. |
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We apply an asset framework to our work and our communications. We acknowledge all people’s aspirations, gifts, and excellence. We do not define people by their challenges. |
We use a systems approach to workforce problems and solutions. This means that we look across our ecosystem at interconnected policies, practices and mindsets that sustain inequities. |
The adults and youth most impacted by the work need to be heard and have agency. Jobseeker and worker voice is essential. |
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STRATEGIC PILLARS |
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CREATE MORE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO GOOD JOBS
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INCREASE THE NUMBER OF GOOD JOBS |
SUPPORT EQUITABLE AND IMPACTFUL WORKFORCE FUNDER PRACTICE |
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KEY INITIATIVES
Monthly Collaborative Meetings
For over a decade, BWFC funder members have gathered on a monthly basis for conversations about topics related to our collective strategies and goals.
Workforce Community Conversations
In keeping with the Collaborative’s commitment to listening to our partners at the front lines of workforce development services in Baltimore, the BWFC launched the Workforce Community Conversations initiative in 2023. A planning committee comprised of service providers and funders has defined a shared concept of workforce community conversations, and works to develop and facilitate Workforce Community Conversation events. Approximately 50 individuals representing a balanced list of funders and grantees attended the first two events in Fall 2023 and Winter 2024. The Workforce Community Conversations are designed to foster open communications between funders and practitioners to build a shared sense of mutual understanding,accountability, and possibility.
Supporting Industry Sector Partnerships
Collectively, BWFC members provide financial and technical support to sectoral workforce programs across a variety of industries. Target industries are selected based on their strength in the local economy, the availability of quality employment opportunities that match the skills and aspirations of unemployed and underemployed Baltimore residents and the potential for advancement along career pathways that lead to family-supporting jobs. Employers within these sectors are committed to partnering on the design, oversight and implementation of these efforts. Industries served through BWFC-affiliated sector programs include: Automotive, Construction, Culinary Arts/Food Service, Energy Efficiency, Healthcare, Information Technology, Manufacturing, and Maritime TDL (Transportation, Distribution and Logistics). To support this work, the BWFC serves as a partner to the Baltimore Mayor's Office of Employment Development and the Baltimore-DC Building Trades in leading efforts of the White House's infrastructure Workforce Hub.
Workforce Grants Tally
The Collaborative conducts an annual collection and analysis of workforce funding data for the Baltimore region. In 2023, we were able to track 11 private and public funders collaborating to award $36.9M of new funding in 2022 for workforce development efforts in Baltimore. This represented $16.9M (46%) in grants and contracts made by philanthropic members of the BWFC which, in turn, leveraged $20M (54%) in public grants to nonprofit partners. The largest categories of funding were for: Industry-Specific Training Programs, General Employment Preparation and Career Readiness, and In-School Youth Workforce Programming.
Wage Record Study
BWFC works with the Jacob France Institute at the University of Baltimore to conduct analysis of pre- and post- training earnings for participants of Baltimore’s workforce development programs. Data from the State’s Unemployment Insurance records supplement demographic and training outcomes collected from workforce development grantees, helping understand the impact of workforce interventions. Click here to read more about the Wage Record Study and to access the 2022 report.
Advancing Job Quality
Shifting the Childcare Industry: Better Jobs for Better Access. In 2024, the Baltimore Workforce Funders Collaborative (received a $200,000 grant from the National Fund for Workforce Solutions to convene a group of local stakeholders around childcare job quality challenges and solutions. The grant is part of the National Fund’s new initiative, Shifting the Childcare Industry: Better Jobs for Better Access, aimed at making childcare more accessible by supporting the workforce in the sector. The initiative is launching in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Ohio, and Central Iowa with generous support from the Truist Foundation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The grant poses a unique opportunity for BWFC to collaborate with the Prenatal to Five Funders Affinity Group (PN-5), also housed at MPN, at a time when local stakeholders are working toward successful implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future — a statewide early childhood and K-12 education systems change effort that will have a significant impact on the childcare industry and workforce. The two collaboratives will convene a work group of funders, providers, advocates, entrepreneurs, and workers to explore practices and systems that advance equity and job quality in Baltimore’s childcare sector and develop solutions in concert with broader efforts to support the successful implementation of the Blueprint.
Good Business Works (GBW) aims to advance good jobs practices among employers in consumer-facing industries including home improvement, retail and food/beverage. Through customer acquisition services and marketing support, including a Socially Responsible Business Directory, BWFC grantee, Civic Works, incentives employers to upgrade job quality. GBW is guided by an Advisory Board comprised of non-profit organizations and city representatives, all committed to advancing high quality employment opportunities for front-line workers in Baltimore. This work is supported through grants from the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, the Hitachi Foundation, Open Society Institute-Baltimore and Walmart Giving.
Capacity Building
Efforts to expand upon the capacity of key stakeholders in Baltimore’s Workforce Development system have included educational workshops for non-profit workforce staff, sponsorship of attendance at national conferences, ad hoc technical assistance and support of peer learning opportunities. The Weinberg Sector Skills Academy was a year-long learning and leadership experience for senior professionals who provide workforce development services and technical training in the Baltimore metropolitan area. The Academy consisted of nine retreats, meetings, and webinars; and concluded in May 2016 with three capstone presentations. Click here to see a final report about the Academy.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
- Baltimore Workforce Funders Collaborative Wage Record Study November 2022
- Scaling Workforce Development Programming in Baltimore
- Advancing Careers in Retail Baltimore: Labor Market Analysis
- Strengthening Baltimore's Workforce: Reflections and Lessons Learned
- A Call To Action: Creating New Opportunities for Baltimore City's Disconnected Youth
- Connecting Baltimore's Opportunity Youth To Careers
- Expanding Sector Employment Opportunities for Young Adults in Baltimore
OUR MEMBERS
Abell Foundation*
The Annie E. Casey Foundation*
Baltimore County Department of Economic and Workforce Development
Baltimore Gas & Electric
Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Employment Development*
Caplis Family Fund
Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation*
Hoffberger Family Philanthropies
Kaiser Permanente
The Knott Foundation
Robert W. Deutsch Foundation
Thalheimer Eurich Charitable Fund
Truist
*founding members