Practices & Centers
Center for Racial Economic Equity
Center for Racial Economic Equity
Accelerating Black economic advancement.
Contact us to learn more
Solutions to disrupt occupational segregation and eradicate the Black-white wealth gap.
Occupational segregation and a vast Black-white wealth gap limit opportunities for success and advancement for Black learners and workers. Through research, thought leadership, network building, and advisory services, Jobs for the Future’s Center for Racial Economic Equity works to create a world where race no longer determines outcomes.
We take a solutions-first, data-driven, nonpartisan, and practitioner-informed approach and rely on a trusted network of cross-sector partners committed to promoting Black economic advancement.
Key Initiatives
Reimagine Education and Training Systems
We conduct research, offer advisory services, and partner across the ecosystem to ensure Black learners are entering and succeeding in high-value programs of study.
Eliminate Workplace Racial Discrimination
In collaboration with major employers, we work with corporations and industries to ensure Black workers are being hired, compensated, and promoted equitably.
Explore Social and Financial Aspects of Advancement
We develop strategies to invest in Black entrepreneurship, explore financial innovations, and identify supports to end the Black-white wealth gap.
News & Ideas
Blog
How Employers Can Address the Social Determinants of Work: Emerging Solutions in Wraparound Supports
The Black-white wealth gap in America is astounding and persistent. Today, the net worth of a typical Black family in the U.S. is $24,100—only 13% of the $188,200 net worth of a typical white family. And this gap has widened since 2000.
Webinar
Building Pathways to Careers in Tech for Black Learners and Workers
JFF’s Center for Racial Economic Equity held a virtual conversation on building pathways to careers in tech for Black learners and workers, created with support from Capital One.
Report
Professional Social Capital Framework
This framework provides a set of recommendations for postsecondary institutions and employers to support Black learners and workers to build professional social capital. It expands on a related JFF market scan that maps the landscape of nonprofit and social enterprise-led social capital initiatives.
Market Scan
Opening Doors: New Investments in Racial Economic Equity
A post-2020 investment surge spurs innovative approaches to driving economic advancement for Black Americans.
Market Scan
Purpose-Built to Advance Equity
This JFF market scan examines innovative efforts to expand pathways into technology careers for Black learners and workers. The programs, initiatives, and digital platforms we highlight provide individuals with genuine opportunities for economic advancement.
Tool
Achieving Black Economic Equity
Eliminating the economic barriers facing Black Americans will require bold, race-conscious solutions. In this framework, we focus closely on the persistent challenges that many Black Americans experience throughout their education and working lives, starting as young teenagers first exploring job opportunities and continuing as adults seeking careers that can propel them to the middle class.
Impact Stories
JFF and Comcast NBCUniversal Partner to Boost Number and Proportion of Black Tech Workers
New $500,000 initiative will generate insights and develop strategies to increase access and success for Black learners and workers within fast-growing digital and IT careers.
Black Employees Make Up Just 7.4% of the Tech Workforce—These Nonprofits Are Working to Change That
JFF Vice President Michael Collins was quoted in recent article on CNBC’s Make It website that focused on JFF's racial economic equity initiative and specifically reported on the release of our latest market scan, Purpose-Built to Advance Equity: Expanding Opportunities in Tech for Black Americans, which highlights organizations that are working to increase the number of Black Americans in the IT workforce.
Survey Reveals Barriers That Prevent Black Workers From Entering and Advancing in Tech Careers
Jobs for the Future survey finds financial constraints, lack of STEM education, mentorship gap as top barriers for Black Americans in tech
JFF’s Michael Collins in “The Great Resignation Narrative Ignores the Black Experience in America”
In an article published in HR Dive, JFF Vice President Michael Collins discusses the implications of the “Great Resignation”—and a potential recession—for Black workers.
Professional Social Capital is Key to Economic Advancement
JFF calls on all education, training, and workforce development programs to be more intentional about helping Black learners and workers build professional social capital.
Leadership
Michael Collins, Vice President
Michael Collins is vice president of the Center for Racial Economic Equity at JFF. He oversees solutions to disrupt occupational segregation, eradicate the Black-white wealth gap, and create Black economic advancement.
Andrea Juncos, Director
Andrea Juncos is a director in the Center for Racial Economic Equity at JFF. She leads research and advisory services focused on accelerating economic advancement for Black learners and workers in the United States.
Avni Nahar, Director
Avni Nahar is a director in the Center for Racial Economic Equity at JFF. She leads the center’s strategy, operations, and business development, along with a subset of projects to advance Black learners and workers.