Research on Worker Mobility – Jun 29

Posted by WorkRise on June 16, 2020

WorkRise Invites LOIs for Research on Worker Mobility

WorkRise, a research-to-action network for jobs, workers, and mobility, is launching a drive to rapidly develop and share actionable evidence on what works to shore up workers’ economic security during the COVID-19 crisis and promote longer-term upward mobility as they rebuild their lives.

To that end, the initiative will provide up to $2 million for research on pilot or existing programs, policies, and practices aimed at the rapid development of rigorous evidence that can inform and drive effective action toward a labor market that boosts workers’ mobility; create a clearinghouse for innovative responses to the current labor market crisis taken by the private sector, civil society, and government; and elevate promising policies and practices to key decision makers, including philanthropic leaders; local, state, and federal policy makers; worker advocates; and business leaders.

To achieve these objectives, WorkRise has issued both a request for proposals (RFP) and a request for information (RFI) to identify and accelerate innovative solutions — including programs, policies, and practices — that both provide immediate economic relief to struggling workers and create pathways for long-term economic security and upward mobility.

The RFP is designed for individuals with research projects in need of funding, while the RFI is designed for those implementing promising practices in need of additional support and/or research and evaluation. Both the RFP and the RFI are open to practitioners, policy makers, researchers, advocates, employers, and others. Select RFI respondents will be offered support in developing a response to the RFP that includes a research- or data-focused outcome and, where appropriate, additional program funds.

Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal (invitations will be made on a rolling basis). Award decisions will be made on a rolling basis beginning in mid-July. Awards amounts are anticipated to range between $50,000 to $500,000 for a twelve- to eighteen-month grant period. The network will attempt to notify all LOI submissions of the final status of their submission by the end of July.

For more information, including the complete RFP, complete RFI, and an FAQ, see the Urban Institute website.

Deadline: June 29, 2020

Learn more and apply: https://www.urban.org/workrise/rfp-rfi