We envisions a future where all workers have security, agency, a sense of belonging, and access to the tools, resources, and opportunities needed to actualize their full potential for their own well-being and that of the greater community.
ReWork the Bay creates a liberated and equitable economic future by transforming the roles workers, employers and the philanthropic sector play in economic and workforce development. We center and amplify the expertise of those most impacted by economic inequities to design, pilot and scale multi-sector systemic solutions responsive to current needs, while activating philanthropic partners to maximize their impact through transformative, strategic relationships.
ReWork the Bay partners with leaders and organizations who share our core values:
Urgency: The time is now to move beyond applying band-aids to tackling systemic issues that continue to push working people and communities of color out of our region and economy; that often means taking greater risk.
Racial Equity: Any solution that advances economic mobility must prioritize closing equity gaps across race, so that people’s life prospects are no longer predictable based on their race or ethnicity.
Centering Workers: To create a thriving region that works for all, the solutions we advance must center the needs, voices and ideas of workers; there is no other way to adequately attend to the complexity of working peoples’ lives.
Collective Solutions: Authentic relationships that lead to meaningful, generative collaboration are critical for the Bay Area to be a diverse and equitable place where all people can live and thrive.
Rich with culture and diversity, the Bay Area is a hub of innovation and progressive leadership. Yet, the region has become one of the most expensive and inequitable areas to live in the United States, with one of the highest income gaps in the country.
Low-income Bay Area residents are hit the hardest; most available jobs do not allow working people and families to earn what they need to make ends meet, let alone building wealth or feeling that their hard work is valued by society. The lowest-wage jobs are predominantly held by people of color, formerly incarcerated people, gender non-conforming people and immigrants, who often have to make impossible choices to cover basic needs like housing, food and child care.
Our roots are as a funder table (formerly called the Bay Area Workforce Funders Collaborative) that has granted more than $16 million to support efforts promoting economic mobility for marginalized communities. While we continue to deploy pooled and aligned grantmaking dollars to seed systems change projects, our table now includes leaders and organizations fighting on the front lines to make the Bay Area work for all. Together, we are driven by a deep commitment to advancing racial equity and developing collective solutions needed to tackle the challenges faced by working people in our region.
ReWork the Bay envisions an equitable Bay Area where everyone, especially low-income working people, have access to quality, empowered jobs — jobs that allow them to benefit from and shape the region’s economy. We believe it should be possible for everyone to live full lives with security, dignity, and agency in our work, home, and communities. We believe that shared prosperity is everyone’s job. That’s why we bring together leaders in economic justice, education and training, business and philanthropy to advance collective solutions for a diverse and equitable Bay Area.
