Siegel Family Endowment Funds Future of Work Research with New Grants

Funding to MIT Work of the Future initiative; the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and Portland State University; the Center for American Progress; and the Washington Center for Equitable Growth advances foundation's growing research emphasis

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Siegel Family Endowment

Sep 08, 2021, 16:39 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Siegel Family Endowment, a foundation which supports organizations working at the intersections of learning, workforce, and infrastructure, announced today new research grants to support an ever-evolving understanding of how to integrate technology to complement the work of humans and promote a more equitable and inclusive future of work. New funding is awarded to the MIT Work of the Future initiative; the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and Portland State University; the Center for American Progress; and the Washington Center for Equitable Growth.

"The future of work is quickly becoming our present reality, and we are committed to shaping a world of work where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. These grants will support research to inform how we account for the growing role of technology as we foster equitable pathways for upward mobility," said Katy Knight, Executive Director of Siegel Family Endowment. "Each of our new grantees are exploring instrumental questions that are central to our collective understanding of technology's impact on the workforce so that together, we can determine the way forward."

In four grants, Siegel Family Endowment will support research projects that explore the future of work through a range of different lenses:

A grant to the MIT Work of the Future initiative will help continue the work that was begun by the Work of the Future taskforce, by supporting new research about how the labor market can evolve as quickly as the technology market. By providing policy recommendations around how to modernize outdated labor market practices, the initiative seeks to future-proof the workforce.
"We are thrilled to receive this grant from the Siegel Family Endowment. Their support of our Work of the Future initiative exemplifies their commitment to this field of research and to an inclusive vision of the future of work," said Ben Armstrong, Interim Executive Director at MIT's Industrial Performance Center.
Funding to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and Portland State University will support manufacturing sector-specific research that focuses on how Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program can help mitigate automation-related job loss. The project will integrate the voices of frontline workers to determine best practices for deploying and designing new technology to promote high-quality jobs, career mobility, and racial equity.
Continued support for the Center for American Progress and the Washington Center for Equitable Growth will drive policy-oriented research. Both organizations take a multifaceted approach to research and apply their research to legislation. By providing fresh ideas for inclusive, equity-centric outcomes and opportunities, these projects will introduce a broader range of labor policy recommendations to inform legislators.

John Irons, Senior Vice President and Head of Research said, "Siegel Family Endowment is pleased to help enable these consequential research initiatives and grow this field of research. The work of these grantees is critical to shedding more light on the connection between people and technology in the workforce, and to shaping the foundation's continued support of organizations that cultivate an inclusive tech-powered economy."

Irons joined Siegel Family Endowment in January 2021 to lead the foundation's expanding research-oriented work. He brings his deep expertise and extensive economic policy leadership and scholarship to spearhead a key area of growth at the foundation, including developing Siegel Family Endowment's first in-house research program.

About Siegel Family Endowment
Siegel Family Endowment aims to understand and shape the impact of technology on society by supporting organizations working at the intersections of learning, workforce, and infrastructure. The foundation partners with leaders in civil society, academia, government, and social enterprise on knowledge-building projects that prioritize inquiry-driven approaches. Siegel Family Endowment was founded in 2011 by computer scientist and entrepreneur David M. Siegel, a co-founder of Two Sigma.

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