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GIVING NEW IDEAS FOR AND WITH WORKERS A CHANCE TO SUCCEED

The Workers Lab envisions a society where all workers are safe, healthy, secure, and free. 

But right now, not all workers can say they are. That’s partly because many of the  systems and structures that are supposed to make and keep workers safe, healthy, secure, and free weren’t created with all workers in mind. So we need to invest in new ideas for workers in order to achieve our vision.

That’s why our PURPOSE at The Workers Lab is to give new ideas for and with workers a chance to succeed and flourish. 

We carry out this purpose through THREE CORE STRATEGIES: 

INVEST
We invest in new ideas for workers in two ways:
We invest in new ideas others (i.e., innovators) are working on through our Innovation Fund.
We invest in new ideas no one else is working on through our Design Sprints.

LEARN
Once we invest, we then learn about how that new idea transforms systems and structures to make all workers safe, healthy, secure, and free. 

INFORM 
We then take that learning, make sense of it, and then use it to inform leaders who are making decisions that impact work and workers.

WE BELIEVE IN...

Power for Workers
Workers should be the primary drivers of economics, politics, and culture in our society.
Inclusion of Workers
Labor laws, rights, and protections should include and extend to all workers everywhere in our society.
Innovation for Workers
Innovation should be used to introduce or transform ideas that make all workers safe, healthy, secure, and free.
Innovation by Workers
Any and all innovation for workers should be driven by workers. Period.
Proximity to Workers
Investments in innovation for workers should meet workers where they are, and acknowledge who they are. That’s why our team is a majority first-generation, queer, person of color team, and why our investments are made largely in leaders of color.

Innovation Fund

We invest in a national network of leaders (i.e., innovators) to test their new ideas, learn from them, and share those learnings with the field.

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Design Sprints

We lead Design Sprints each year to explore new solutions that improve workers lives to address 21st-century challenges.

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We Want to Learn About Your Ideas!

Do you have a new idea that can help make all workers safe, healthy, secure, and free? We are looking for new ideas from people like you. We especially welcome innovators of color, women, and LGBTQ+ innovators to apply for the Innovation Fund or pitch your idea for our next Design Sprint. Submit your ideas here.

THE LATEST NEWS

A Look Back at Emergency Cash Distributed in the First Year of the Pandemic

The Workers Lab (TWL) has a longstanding commitment to understanding the value and best practices for delivering emergency cash for workers. Over the last several years, TWL has deeply explored the...

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Benefits of Emergency Cash Grants for Building Organizations and Membership

During the pandemic, organizations across the United States distributed hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency cash. Individuals, foundations, and governments understood the immense urgency to...

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Making Sense of Emergency Cash

Emergency cash is about getting money in the hands of people who need it, when they need it. We're working to give this idea for workers a chance to succeed.

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OUR SUPPORTERS

Our donors understand the power of promising new ideas, and they value our focus on innovation, our willingness to take risks, and our ability to forge partnerships across sectors. Together, we are transforming the landscape the landscape for workers.

 

Learn more and join our supporter network today!

 

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OUR VALUE PROPOSITION

The Workers Lab serves as a vehicle for the entire field of worker advocates to collaborate, explore, and experiment with new ideas for workers.

From our unique position as a convener of unlikely allies, and as an organization led by BIPOC, queer, and first-generation individuals, we have a critical perspective and insights on the future of work and what workers need.

Learn More About Our Team

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