The State of Affairs
Every working person in the United States should be able to meet their family’s financial needs and have a path to a better future.
For over a century, The Rockefeller Foundation has been a force for expanding opportunities for America’s working families. Today, we are working with partners in communities across the United States to create more economic opportunity for more people in more places.
That requires us to work across sectors and political lines to unlock clean energy and climate funding to create jobs and lower energy prices throughout America, support tax policies that empower American workers and families, and increase access to capital and procurement opportunities for underserved businesses.
Why it Matters
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people moved out of poverty in 2021, and the child poverty rate decreased by almost 40% because of two tax measures, the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit
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of American households are unbanked or underbanked, often obligating them to use costly financial services that can impact their financial health
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people in disadvantaged communities, suffering from a combination of environmental, economic, and health burdens, are eligible for equity-focused federal climate funding
Overview
When faced with a hypothetical expense of $400, 68 percent of all adults in 2021 said they would cover it exclusively using cash, savings, or a credit card paid off at the next statement. The rest said they would pay by borrowing or selling something, or would not be able to cover the expense.
But Black and Hispanic adults were much more likely than White or Asian adults to face difficulty paying bills, and these differences were present at all income levels. Forty percent of Black adults and 35 percent of Hispanic adults had, or were close to having, difficulty paying bills, compared with 19 percent of White adults and 11 percent of Asian adults.
Our Strategy
- 1Solutions that are Good for People and Planet: We advance innovations at the nexus of economic opportunity and sustainability. Our objective is to scale high-potential, locally-led initiatives and ensure all communities can access climate investments with an eye toward growing jobs and lowering energy prices.
- 2A Pro-Working Families Tax System: We are creating collaborations to enable tax policies that work better for American workers and American families. Our goal is to advance solutions that will help at least 25 million American workers achieve economic stability.
- 3Inclusive Economic Growth: We are a founding member of the Economic Opportunity Coalition (EOC), a historic effort to catalyze and align public and private investments to accelerate inclusive economic growth, particularly for underserved communities.
Initiatives
Related Grants
From climate, to taxes, to small businesses, we are working with grantees to build a more equitable America.
Impact Stories
Pathways to economic opportunity are truly diverse. Across the country, transformative solutions and hard work are helping Americans realize a more equitable economy.
Recent News
- Oct 21 2024Rockefeller Foundation Bets Big on, Hires New Leader for, U.S. Program
- Jul 23 2024Rockefeller Foundation’s Economic Opportunity Coalition Adds New Fortune 500 Companies to its Initiatives
- Jul 18 2024Rockefeller Foundation’s Economic Opportunity Coalition Announces New Chair & 3 Additional Fortune 500 Companies
