The Labor Innovations for the 21st Century (LIFT) Fund is a first-of-its-kind collaborative that supports new forms of worker organizing.

We are organizers, philanthropists, movement leaders, and academics committed to a new era for workers’ rights that is intersectional, inclusive, and innovative.

Theory of Change

 

As traditional models of employee representation decline, the LIFT Fund stands at the forefront of rethinking how changes in employment — exacerbated by rapid advancements in technology and new forms of building worker power — can affect the future of work.

 

In collaboration with worker centers, philanthropic institutions, and labor organizations, the LIFT Fund is seeking to fuel a new era of worker-organizing strategies by:

  • Building trusting relationships among unions, worker centers, and other emerging worker organizations
  • Training and supporting organizers and leaders to adopt systems thinking and adaptive practices that support effective collaboration and network practices
  • Bridging differences in organizational structures, cultures, and governance models between unions and worker organizations
  • Catalyzing funding practices that encourage collaboration and experimentation, especially between labor organizations and philanthropic institutions

 

Our power will be measured by our progress in:

  • Developing stronger and more effective worker organizations that empower workers, improve workplace conditions, and enhance community well-being
  • Increasing the diversity of leaders who are prepared to collaborate and advocate for a workers’ rights agenda
  • Expanding the number of funders and organizations that support risk-taking in the field of workers’ rights
  • Achieving a more equitable labor movement that centers on the leadership and experiences of traditionally excluded populations

Grantmaking

The LIFT Fund supports collaborations and partnerships that are leading innovative efforts centered on empowering workers, with an emphasis on racial, economic, and gender justice.
 
Since 2011, the LIFT Fund has invested $6,525,500 in organizations that are fighting for workers’ power and ensuring their voices are central to the discussion around the future of work.

Learning

For more than a decade, the LIFT Fund has served as a hub of insight and learning about innovation in worker organizing across the fields of philanthropy, labor unions, and worker centers.
 
By investing resources in research, report development, briefings, and more, the LIFT Fund ensures funders and grantees learn and experiment with new strategies to build successful models for the future of work and inspire the greater labor movement.

Convening

Bringing people together is part of the LIFT Fund’s DNA. We know that achieving change requires collective action, which is why LIFT creates opportunities for shared learning and collaboration.
 
Whether through hosting events, such as Learning Days, for partners and collaborators or identifying opportunities for shared strategy and co-funding, LIFT offers on-the-ground experiences for funders, grantees and other local leaders to engage in deep reflection about their current work.

Leadership Team

News

Check out recent victories from grantees in the field, information about groundbreaking campaigns, and the latest news from efforts to empower workers.