Program Design for Economic Opportunity
Rockefeller Foundation
HR&A supported a large public interest foundation in developing a collaborative philanthropic strategy that enables coordinated investment in economic stability and mobility initiatives across US cities. Our strategic framework and presentation materials positioned the foundation to engage philanthropic partners in concentrated efforts to overcome systemic obstacles facing low-wage workers.
The foundation recognized that addressing economic mobility challenges required unprecedented coordination among philanthropic organizations to achieve meaningful systemic change, as traditional, fragmented approaches had limited impact on structural barriers. HR&A led a comprehensive design process, working closely with the foundation’s in-house advisory staff to develop both the strategic intervention approach and outcome evaluation framework for this ambitious new initiative.
Our work produced a robust partnering strategy that outlines how multiple organizations can collaboratively plan and implement initiatives while maintaining their missions. We developed an evaluation methodology to measure both program outcomes and collective impact across cities, and created presentation materials that support conversations with potential partners. This framework enables philanthropic organizations to leverage combined resources and expertise to achieve transformational change in economic mobility across multiple urban markets.
