Key Insights from an Analysis of Grant-Funded Programs Aimed at Workforce Inclusion for People with Disabilities
White paper explores successful elements and challenges faced by grantee organizations
East Hanover, NJ – September 12, 2024 – A newly published white paper explores successful elements and challenges faced by 21 national programs that used grant funding to initiate training, career development, and job opportunities for people with disabilities. These insights provide a roadmap for guiding future initiatives for nonprofits, schools, public institutions, and philanthropy. All 21 programs were recipients of Kessler Foundation’s Signature Employment Grants.
The white paper’s title is: “Unlocking Potential: Key Lessons from Kessler Foundation’s Signature Grants on Employment for People with Disabilities – A White Paper for Professionals in Grantmaking, Workforce Development, Disability Employment, and Human Resources.
The 40-page report shows how effective partnerships and collaboration, employer engagement, high organizational capacity, staff agility, and - concise goals affect the ability of organizations to increase the employment and retention of job seekers with disabilities. The analysis also highlighted some of the most difficult challenges for programs to overcome, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, participants needing additional or extensive support, short implementation timeframes, and constrained staff resources.
The Foundation contracted The John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, to review interim and final evaluation reports for the Foundation’s grant programs initiated in 2015 and completed by 2022.
Historically, people with disabilities have faced significant underemployment or unemployment. Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, the employment-to-population ratio for working adults without disabilities was 75%, compared to 31% for those with disabilities, according to National Trends in Disability Employment data. The pandemic further decreased these rates to 63% for non-disabled adults and 26% for those with disabilities. However, recent employment indicators show an upward trend for people with disabilities, with the average monthly employment-to-population ratio reaching an all-time high of 37.1% in 2023. This increase is attributed to factors such as labor shortages, more job postings, increased wages, the availability of accommodation funds, diversity or inclusion programs, and the rise of remote work opportunities.
“By funding innovative pilot initiatives, demonstration projects, and social ventures, Kessler Foundation’s Signature Employment Grants program drives the creation of fresh ideas. These efforts are focused on reducing the high rates of unemployment and underemployment for individuals with disabilities,” said Elaine Katz, senior vice president, grantmaking and communications. “The Foundation favors employment initiatives for people with disabilities that are designed with an intersectional lens, taking into account the complex interplay of race, class, gender, disability, and poverty,” she added.
In advocating for positive changes in employer culture and hiring practices, the Foundation seeks to increase the number of employed individuals with disabilities nationwide. Since 2005, the Foundation has invested over $50 million through its Signature Employment Grants program to facilitate more than 10,000 people with disabilities in acquiring jobs and training.
