| CHARTER WORKS INC | BROOKLYN, NY | $85,000 | 2025 | Using AI in Ways that Enhance Worker Dignity and Inclusion Grant made $50,000. This original qualitative and quantitative research project seeks to better understand the attitudes, concerns, and desires across groups of workers around the adoption of AI tools in their workplaces so they can be included in decisions about AI use and deployment. The research is based on data and insights from a survey of 1,173 workers across the US that took place from August 6 to August 26, 2023. It also includes guidance from practitioners, labor economists, research scientists, and labor organizers about whats known and unknown about AI in modern workplaces, including lessons from past technological transformations.AI in the Workplace: How Companies and Workers are Getting it Right. Grant made $35,000. Following the publication of Using AI in Ways that Enhance Worker Dignity and Inclusion, there has been continued discussion by employers, policymakers, researchers, and technologists about the implicat |
| Cornell University ILR CAROW | ITHACA, NY | $26,500 | 2025 | Catalyzing Safe and Equitable Use of Artificial Intelligence in Home Health Care Work.The goal of this qualitative study is to understand the perspectives and experiences of home care workers (HCWs) and other key stakeholders towards current and near-future artificial intelligence (AI) deployment in home care work.Emerging AI systems promise home care agencies, insurance companies, and public funders such as Medicaid and Medicare, immense gains in efficiency and cost savings through automation, including via patientcare worker matching, shift scheduling and coordination, predicting patient health, tracking worker performance, and more.However, without proper safeguards, AI systems deployed in these sensitive contexts could also have unintended negative consequences that harm HCWs and their patients. |
| KNOLOGY LTD | New York, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | Culture of Trust: How Interactions Around Contentious Issues Affect Trust in the Workplace.This project seeks to identify ways nonprofit leaders, especially those working in museums, can support and build trust even when working through contentious issues.Because they are called upon to address social issues, museums provide a microcosm for studying trust in the organization. Modern museums are tackling issues such as unionization, climate change, racism, restitution of cultural artifacts, and sources of donor wealth. For organizations that have traditionally thought of themselves as neutral ground in their community, this is a challenge one that recalls the social revolution of the late 1960s and 1970s in the US, which led to a redefinition of museums from collecting to educational organizations. Findings from this study will support the development of strategies for building, supporting, and repairing trust between nonprofit leaders and staff when contentious issues arise. |
| Institute for the Future of Work IF | LONDON, LO | $12,840 | 2025 | Tech Effects on Job Quality: Understanding and Mitigating Impacts.The purpose of the project is to uncover how different demographic and occupational groups experience job quality changes with the introduction of automation. Researchers will leverage a large-scale survey of UK workers to conduct their analysis. Current assumptions about the impact of automation on labor tend to be reduced to two perspectives: Automation will either completely displace labor or require labor to be retrained or upskilled to work with automation. The researchers in this project believe that we need more nuanced models that explore how choices about design, development, and deployment come together to produce different outcomes. Such approaches would also allow us to better examine who is benefitting from new technology and in what ways.The research is expected to provide valuable insights to help businesses, unions, policymakers, and regulators develop targeted strategies that ensure technology adoption l |
| CORNELL UNIVERSITY ILR SCHOOL | ITHACA, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) School.ILR Future of Work FellowshipThis is the second annual payment in a three-year commitment to support the ILR Future of Work Fellowships at Cornell University. The Future of Work Fellowship Program is funded by an alumni gift and supports postdoctoral researchers and doctoral students who work with Cornell ILRs faculty on innovative research projects related to the future of work.The fellowship program is designed to promote the benefits of strong collaboration between newer researchers and resident faculty members. The Fellows benefit directly from engagement and mentoring from the ILR faculty members they work with, establishing a track record and path to future career success. Faculty benefit from the work of the Fellows in advancing their research projects and opening new opportunities and innovations through collaborations with these early career academics. |
| EMPATHABLE | Sacramento, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | Innovative Learning Approaches in Healthcare. This project explores how two innovative learning approaches first-person perspective, point-of-view (POV) storytelling and AI-powered conversational tools can transform workplace dynamics in healthcare settings.For decades, healthcare education has relied primarily on traditional approacheslectures, presentations, and text-based learning. While these methods effectively communicate information, they often fail to create the emotional and experiential connections needed to truly transform behavior in high-stakes, interpersonal healthcare settings.At the same time, research has consistently demonstrated that experiential learning coupled with reflective practice leads to significantly higher learning retention rates and behavior change. When learners actively engage with content that triggers emotional responses and then have opportunities to practice new approaches in a safe environment, the learning becomes embedded in both cognitive and e |
| CORNELL UNIVERSITY ILR Future of Wo | ITHACA, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | Future of Work Fellowship. This grant is to support the ILR Future of Work Fellowships at Cornell University. The Future of Work Fellowship Program is funded by an alumni gift and supports postdoctoral researchers and doctoral students who work with Cornell ILRs faculty on innovative research projects related to the future of work. |
| ALERIA RESEARCH CORPORATION | NEW YORK, NY | $8,000 | 2025 | Agent-Based Simulation: Quantifying the Impact of Better Frontline Jobs on Business PerformanceThe goal of this project is to develop a computer simulation that quantifies the link between elevating the workplace experience of frontline workers and superior business results. The goal is to amplify and enhance the value of foundational research into job quality and human capital measures that both improve the worker experience and drive business performance, with a decision-support tool to test and evaluate the likely outcomes of various job-quality scenarios.A further objective of this pilot project is to demonstrate the value of agent-based simulation (ABS), an innovative approach to human resource analytics that combines behavioral science and computer simulations to quantify the impact of human behaviors, interactions, and attitudes within an organization. This work aims to demonstrate the potential of the ABS approach as a workforce planning tool to support leaders in designing bet |
| National Academy of Human Resources | SAG HARBOR, NY | $7,500 | 2025 | Richard A. Beaumont Memorial Scholarship 2024 and 2025. This grant is being used to fund one-half of an annual scholarship for a student pursuing a masters degree in human resources or a related field. The other half is being funded by the National Academy of Human Resources (NAHR) Foundation. The scholarship is in memory of Richard A. Beaumont, IRCs former director of research and trustee emeritus, who also was a founding member of NAHR. The scholarship is administered by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) Foundation. |
| ALERIA RESEARCH CORPORATION | NEW YORK, NY | $4,000 | 2025 | Agent-Based Simulation: Quantifying the Impact of Better Frontline Jobs on Business Performance. The goal of this project is to develop a computer simulation that quantifies the link between elevating the workplace experience of frontline workers and superior business results. The goal is to amplify and enhance the value of foundational research into job quality and human capital measures that both improve the worker experience and drive business performance, with a decision-support tool to test and evaluate the likely outcomes of various job-quality scenarios. |
| Legacy Global Programs | Mesa, AZ | $3,000 | 2025 | Work in Progress 2025. The purpose of this initiative launched in December 2024 is to establish and support a community of entrepreneurs, investors, and thought leaders to explore new possibilities for the future of work. The goal is to build a community of cross-functional visionaries committed to ensuring that as work evolves, it evolves intentionally.Work, as we know it, is being fundamentally transformed. AI is reshaping entire industries, and traditional work structures are under pressure from the weight of innovation. Participants in the Work in Progress community are engaging in conversations and activities that seek to answer the question, what comes next?.The Work in Progress convening of May 2025 brought together leaders for a curated half-day experience designed to explore the evolving nature of work through a deeply human lens. Attendees participated in one of three breakout sessions designed to explore fundamental questions about works future in an effort to generate new f |
| ALERIA RESEARCH CORPORATION | NEW YORK, NY | $24,000 | 2024 | Agent-Based Simulation: Quantifying the Impact of Better Frontline Jobs on Business PerformanceThe goal of this project is to develop a computer simulation that quantifies the link between elevating the workplace experience of frontline workers and superior business results. The goal is to amplify and enhance the value of foundational research into job quality and human capital measures that both improve the worker experience and drive business performance, with a decision-support tool to test and evaluate the likely outcomes of various job-quality scenarios.A further objective of this pilot project is to demonstrate the value of agent-based simulation (ABS), an innovative approach to human resource analytics that combines behavioral science and computer simulations to quantify the impact of human behaviors, interactions, and attitudes within an organization. This work aims to demonstrate the potential of the ABS approach as a workforce planning tool to support leaders in designing bet |
| CORNELL UNIVERSITY ILR SCHOOL | ITHACA, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) School.ILR Future of Work FellowshipThis is the first annual payment in a three-year commitment to support the ILR Future of Work Fellowships at Cornell University. The Future of Work Fellowship Program is funded by an alumni gift and supports postdoctoral researchers and doctoral students who work with Cornell ILRs faculty on innovative research projects related to the future of work.The fellowship program is designed to promote the benefits of strong collaboration between newer researchers and resident faculty members. The Fellows benefit directly from engagement and mentoring from the ILR faculty members they work with, establishing a track record and path to future career success. Faculty benefit from the work of the Fellows in advancing their research projects and opening new opportunities and innovations through collaborations with these early career academics.Future of work research includes topics in employment relations, human resources man |
| INTERNATIONAL LONGEVITY CENTRE | LONDON, EN | $10,000 | 2024 | Work for Tomorrow: Innovating for an Aging WorkforceThis was the third and final payment of a grant used to fund Work for Tomorrow, a global innovation competition, which seeks to identify and reward the most promising innovations to address the challenges and opportunities of an aging workforce. There were four key challenge areas, which include maintaining good health; building knowledge, skills, and competence; addressing discrimination and supporting diversity; and adapting the workplace. |
| THE GIVING BACK FUND | LOS ANGELES, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | Bounce Forward: Helping Small Businesses & Workers Thrive Together (Part Two).The goal of the Bounce Forward program is to make work more equitable and fulfilling so that workers, businesses, and communities can thrive together. In Part Two of the pilot, owners of small businesses participated in an alumni program to develop their coaching skills and team leadership capabilities more fully. The alumni program also directly engaged employees in experiential learning to make work more enjoyable and enhance their well-being. This is the final payment of this grant. |
| WORC INC | EVANSTON, IL | $5,000 | 2024 | This is the second and final payment of a grant made for the purpose of developing a set of educational materials and presentations to raise awareness among the private equity impact investor community of the evidence base regarding the power of improving job quality to generate above-market returns (alpha) and to execute a campaign to inform this audience. |
| NAHR FOUNDATION | DOWNERS GROVE, IL | $2,500 | 2024 | This grant is being used to fund one-half of an annual scholarship for a student pursuing a masters degree in human resources or a related field. The other half is being funded by NAHR Foundation. The scholarship is in memory of Richard A. Beaumont, IRCs former director of research and trustee emeritus, who also was a founding member of NAHR. |
| MIT INITIATIVE ON THE DIGITAL ECONOMY | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $50,000 | 2023 | THIS IS THE THIRD PAYMENT OF A GRANT TO MIT IDE THAT WAS MADE TO SUPPORT A RESEARCH PROGRAM FOCUSED ON EXPLORING HOW PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES WILL WORK, INTERACT, AND PROSPER IN AN ERA OF PROFOUND DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION. IT SEEKS TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS: WHAT WILL THE WORKFORCE OF THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE? HOW CAN WE ACCELERATE THE TRANSFORMATION OF INSTITUTIONS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND HUMAN SKILLS TO KEEP UP WITH THE QUICKENING PACE OF DIGITAL INNOVATION SO THAT NOBODY IS LEFT BEHIND? |
| THE NETWORK ROUNDTABLE LLC | CONCORD, MA | $33,000 | 2023 | THIS REPRESENTS THE SECOND AND THIRD (FINAL) PAYMENT IN A GRANT TO THE NETWORK ROUNDTABLE, LLC THAT IS IN SUPPORT OF A STUDY THAT SHOWS HOW PEOPLE'S CONNECTIONS WITH OTHERS CREATE THE ESSENTIAL FABRIC THAT UNDERPINS WELL-BEING. EVERY MODEL OF WELL-BEING INCLUDES RELATIONSHIPS AS A COMPONENT OF WHAT CREATES A HAPPIER PERSON. BUT IN MOST MODELS, THE RELATIONSHIPS ARE SEPARATE FROM THE OTHER COMPONENTS RATHER THAN CONSIDERING HOW RELATIONSHIPS DRIVE THEM. THIS STUDY PLACES RELATIONSHIPS AT THE CENTER AND EXPLORES THE WAYS THAT CONNECTIONS ENABLE OR ENHANCE FOUR PILLARS OF WELL-BEING A SENSE OF PURPOSE, RESILIENCE, PERSONAL GROWTH, AND PHYSICAL HEALTH AND HOW PEOPLE WHO INTENTIONALLY MANAGE CONNECTIONS IN CERTAIN WAYS SEE BETTER RESULTS. |
| INTERNATIONAL LONGEVITY CENTRE | LONDON | $30,000 | 2023 | THIS IS THE SECOND PAYMENT OF A GRANT THAT IS BEING USED TO FUND "WORK FOR TOMORROW," A GLOBAL INNOVATION COMPETITION, WHICH SEEKS TO IDENTIFY AND REWARD THE MOST PROMISING INNOVATIONS TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF AN AGING WORKFORCE. THERE ARE FOUR KEY CHALLENGE AREAS THAT INCLUDE MAINTAINING GOOD HEALTH; BUILDING KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND COMPETENCE; ADDRESSING DISCRIMINATION AND SUPPORTING DIVERSITY; AND ADAPTING THE WORKPLACE. |
| CLAREMONT GRADUATE UNIVERSITY | CLAREMONT, CA | $25,000 | 2023 | THIS IS THE SECOND (FINAL) PAYMENT OF A GRANT MADE TO DEVELOP A CAPABILITY FRAMEWORK FOR BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM LEADERSHIP. WITH THE INCREASING IMPORTANCE OF ECOSYSTEM-BASED BUSINESS MODELS, BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM LEADERSHIP CAPABILITIES ARE BECOMING A MAJOR SOURCE OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE AND INDISPENSABLE FOR THE LONG-TERM SURVIVAL OF ORGANIZATIONS. THE CHALLENGES OF ENGAGING IN THIS NEW UNIVERSE ARE SUBSTANTIAL AND CAN BE DAUNTING FOR ORGANIZATIONS. DESPITE THE CURRENT HYPE AROUND THIS TOPIC, THERE IS STILL A LIMITED UNDERSTANDING OF THE INTER-ORGANIZATIONAL DYNAMICS BETWEEN THE PARTICIPANTS OF AN ECOSYSTEM AND THE CAPABILITIES REQUIRED TO SUCCESSFULLY LEVERAGE ITS POTENTIAL. THIS GRANT (AND THE RELATED RESEARCH) BUILDS UPON A PREVIOUS IRC-FUNDED RESEARCH STUDY ON ORGANIZING FOR BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM LEADERSHIP AND IS BEING USED TO HELP ORGANIZATIONS CLOSE THIS GAP. |
| THE GIVING BACK FUND | LOS ANGELES, CA | $20,000 | 2023 | THIS GRANT IS BEING USED TO FUND "BOUNCE FORWARD: HELPING SMALL BUSINESSES & WORKERS THRIVE TOGETHER (PART TWO)". THE GOAL OF THE BOUNCE FORWARD PROGRAM IS TO MAKE WORK MORE EQUITABLE AND FULFILLING SO THAT WORKERS, BUSINESSES, AND COMMUNITIES CAN THRIVE TOGETHER. IN PART TWO OF THE PILOT, OWNERS PARTICIPATE IN AN ALUMNI PROGRAM TO DEVELOP THEIR COACHING SKILLS AND TEAM LEADERSHIP CAPABILITIES MORE FULLY. THE ALUMNI PROGRAM ALSO DIRECTLY ENGAGES EMPLOYEES IN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING TO MAKE WORK MORE ENJOYABLE AND ENHANCE THEIR WELL-BEING. THERE IS ONE MORE GRANT PAYMENT DUE AT THE COMPLETION OF THE ALUMNI PROGRAM AND DELIVERY OF A FINAL REPORT. |
| FOUNDATION FOR INCLUSION | WASHINGTON, DC | $20,000 | 2023 | THIS GRANT IS BEING USED TO FUND "BOUNCE FORWARD: HELPING SMALL BUSINESSES & WORKERS THRIVE TOGETHER (PART ONE)". THE GOAL OF THE BOUNCE FORWARD PROGRAM IS TO MAKE WORK MORE EQUITABLE AND FULFILLING SO THAT WORKERS, BUSINESSES, AND COMMUNITIES CAN THRIVE TOGETHER. IT STARTS WITH HELPING BUSINESS LEADERS CHANGE THEIR APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOP THE FULL POTENTIAL OF THEIR WORKFORCE. PART ONE IS A PROOF-OF-CONCEPT PILOT DESIGNED AS AN EIGHT-WEEK COACHING AND EXPERIENTIAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FOR WOMEN AND BIPOC SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS SO THAT THEY CAN MORE EFFECTIVELY TAP INTO THE CREATIVITY, INTELLIGENCE, AND PERFORMANCE OF THEIR TEAMS. IN THE PROCESS, OWNERS CREATE OPPORTUNITIES TO REIMAGINE THE EMPLOYER/EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIP AND IMPROVE JOB QUALITY, WHILE ENHANCING THEIR OWN EXPERIENCE AND SUCCESS AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER. |
| NATIONAL ACADEMY FOR HUMAN RESOURCES | DOWNERS GROVE, IL | $10,000 | 2023 | THIS REPRESENTS TWO GRANTS OF $5,000 EACH THAT WERE MADE IN SUPPORT OF NAHR'S MISSION TO RECOGNIZE AND ADVANCE EXCELLENCE IN THE HR PROFESSION. THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED BY (1) RECOGNIZING THOSE WHO HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE HUMAN RESOURCES PROFESSION (2) SHARING THE EXPERIENCE OF ITS NAHR FELLOWS (3) IMPACTING THE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCES OF THOSE STUDYING HR (4) SUPPORTING AND CONNECTING NAHR FELLOWS FOR PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL GROWTH (5) EDUCATING BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT, AND NON-PROFIT LEADERS AND COMMUNITIES OF THE POSITIVE IMPACT EFFECTIVE HR HAS ON THE SUCCESS OF ORGANIZATIONS AND THEIR EMPLOYEES AND COMMUNITIES. |
| WORKFORCE & ORGANIZATIONAL RESEARCH CENTER INC | EVANSTON, IL | $5,000 | 2023 | THIS IS THE FIRST PAYMENT OF A GRANT MADE FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEVELOPING A SET OF EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS AND PRESENTATIONS TO RAISE AWARENESS AMONG THE IMPACT INVESTOR COMMUNITY OF THE EVIDENCE BASE REGARDING THE POWER OF IMPROVING JOBS TO GENERATE ABOVE-MARKET RETURNS (ALPHA) AND TO EXECUTE A CAMPAIGN TO INFORM THIS AUDIENCE. |
| NATIONAL ACADEMY FOR HUMAN RESOURCES FOUNDATION | DOWNERS GROVE, IL | $2,500 | 2023 | THIS GRANT IS BEING USED TO FUND ONE-HALF OF A SCHOLARSHIP FOR A STUDENT PURSUING A MASTER'S DEGREE IN HUMAN RESOURCES. IT IS IN MEMORY OF RICHARD A. BEAUMONT, IRC'S FORMER DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND TRUSTEE EMERITUS. |