Working Partnerships USA
Working Partnerships USA is a San Jose-based nonprofit advocacy organization that uses grassroots organizing and coalition building to advance worker rights, affordable housing, and AI accountability for Silicon Valley working families.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersSan Jose, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Working Partnerships USA does
Working Partnerships USA (WPUSA) is a San Jose-headquartered nonprofit advocacy and community organizing organization founded in 1993 (per firmographic record; company history also references 1995) that builds power for Silicon Valley working families through grassroots organizing, policy advocacy, research, and coalition convening. Its mission centers on economic and racial justice, with focus areas spanning worker rights, affordable housing, AI accountability, healthcare access, and democratic participation. WPUSA operates with a lean staff of 1-10 employees and no proprietary technology; its "platform" is a multi-decade coalition infrastructure encompassing labor councils, community organizations, and local government partners across Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.
Its core program portfolio comprises the Trades Orientation Program (TOP), a one-year pre-apprenticeship pathway into construction trades for under-represented communities; the Fair Workplace Collaborative, which delivers worker rights education and compliance information to small businesses across Santa Clara County; the South Bay and Peninsula High Road Roundtable, which convenes 450+ stakeholders around regional economic development; and newer initiatives including the Bay Area High Road Manufacturing Initiative (BAHRMI), the High Road to Childcare and Early Childhood Education Consortium, and Worker Cooperative Hubs. The organization distributes no commercial products or services; its go-to-market is community-led through canvassing, phone banking, coalition campaigns, town halls, and digital channels.
WPUSA's revenue model is donation- and grant-based (a 501(c)(4)-style social welfare nonprofit per contextual evidence), with no disclosed pricing, no commercial sales motion, and no reported revenue figure. Documented policy outcomes include the San Jose Opportunity to Work ordinance, Santa Clara's first-in-Silicon-Valley worker retention ordinance, a $950M affordable housing bond, Just Cause eviction protections covering 450,000 renters, and a regional $15 minimum wage campaign. The organization is led by Executive Director Maria Noel Fernandez, with the day-to-day organizing function supported by senior staff such as Gabriel Cardenas. It was recognized as California State Assembly Nonprofit of the Year.
Working Partnerships USA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Working Partnerships USA
- Legal name
- Working Partnerships USA
- Website
- https://wpusa.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Working Partnerships USA is a San Jose-based nonprofit advocacy organization that uses grassroots organizing and coalition building to advance worker rights, affordable housing, and AI accountability for Silicon Valley working families.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Working Partnerships USA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Policy Advocacy
- NAICS
- Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Employer-Led Workforce Partnerships & Sector Strategies (EDAAAOAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Remote/Hybrid Work Readiness & Digital Collaboration (EDAAAKAL), Corporate & Foundation Relations (Sponsorships, Grants, Partnerships) (EDALAOAE), Research, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Partnerships (EDADALAK)
Keywords
Where Working Partnerships USA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Jose
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Working Partnerships USA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Fundraising: Working Partnerships USA operates as a nonprofit organization funded primarily through donations from supporters, members, and partners who share their mission of building a just economy in Silicon Valley.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Working Partnerships USA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Working Partnerships USA is a nonprofit public policy and research institute that conducts grassroots organizing and policy advocacy to advance worker rights, affordable housing, and economic justice in Silicon Valley. It delivers workforce development programs (such as the Trades Orientation Program), worker rights education (Fair Workplace Collaborative), and multi-stakeholder coalition convening (South Bay and Peninsula High Road Roundtable, BAHRMI) targeting Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.
Product overview
Working Partnerships USA is a nonprofit advocacy organization offering a portfolio of workforce development and community organizing programs rather than a unified technology product. The core offerings include the Trades Orientation Program (TOP), a pre-apprenticeship construction career pathway; the Fair Workplace Collaborative providing worker rights education; and the South Bay and Peninsula High Road Roundtable serving as a convening body for economic justice initiatives. These programs are complemented by specialized initiatives including the Bay Area High Road Manufacturing Initiative, the High Road to Childcare and Early Childhood Education Consortium, and Worker Cooperative Hubs. The organization functions as a coalition builder and policy advocate rather than a technology product company.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Trades Orientation Program (TOP): A one-year apprenticeship readiness program to help people get started in construction careers, expanding pathways into high-road construction trades for under-represented communities.
- Fair Workplace Collaborative
- South Bay and Peninsula High Road Roundtable
- Bay Area High Road Manufacturing Initiative (BAHRMI)
Products and services
- Trades Orientation Program (TOP)
Quantifiable outcome
- $800 million in additional wages annually for 250,000 workers from regional $15 minimum wage adoption
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Working Partnerships USA
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Working Partnerships USA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Working Partnerships USA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- South Bay and Peninsula High Road RoundtableflagshipMulti-stakeholder collaboration convened by Working Partnerships USA and partner organizations to advance economic and racial justice in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. From June 2023 through December 2024, convened over 450 stakeholders to re-envision regional economic development through high-road approaches emphasizing equity, job quality, climate resilience, and worker and community voice.
- San Mateo County Economic Development Association (SAMCEDA)coreCo-convenor of the South Bay and Peninsula High Road Roundtable, representing economic development interests in San Mateo County.
- San Mateo Labor CouncilcoreCo-convenor of the South Bay and Peninsula High Road Roundtable, representing labor interests in San Mateo County.
- South Bay Labor CouncilcoreCo-convenor of the South Bay and Peninsula High Road Roundtable, representing labor interests in Santa Clara County.
- Somos MayfaircoreCo-convenor of the South Bay and Peninsula High Road Roundtable and lead organization for Anchoring Worker Cooperative Hubs initiative.
- Bay Area Jobs First CollaborativecoreSubregional table of the Bay Area Jobs First Collaborative, a group of over 50 organizations awarded $5 million Community Economic Resilience Fund planning grant and $14 million Catalyst grant to develop inclusive, sustainable economic strategies in the Bay Area through September 2026.
- Santa Clara Building Trades CouncilcorePartner in Construction Careers Initiative, collaborating to build a pipeline into high-road construction jobs for local community members.
- South Bay Apprenticeship Coordinators AssociationcorePartner in Construction Careers Initiative, supporting apprenticeship pathways into construction careers.
- Silicon Valley Rising ActioncorePartner organization sharing mission and values, working together on campaigns for economic justice and worker rights in Silicon Valley.
- SEIU 521corePartnership with SEIU Local 521 to advance AI accountability and worker protections in Santa Clara County public sector.
- Bay Area High Road Manufacturing Initiative (BAHRMI)flagshipNewly formed partnership seeking to advance a high-road manufacturing ecosystem in the Bay Area by improving outcomes in existing industries and supporting growth of new employers in strategic clean manufacturing sectors.
- High Road to Childcare and Early Childhood Education ConsortiumflagshipAmbitious cross-regional collaborative developing high-road approaches to increase availability and affordability of childcare while improving job quality and workforce mobility.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Working Partnerships USA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- National Employment Law Project: National policy and advocacy organization focused on worker rights, wage standards, and workplace protections. Comparable mission on labor policy advocacy but operates nationally with deeper specialization in employment law.
- Center for Community Change: National organizing and advocacy hub for low-income communities of color on economic justice, immigration, and worker rights. Comparable grassroots-to-policy pipeline but at national scale with broader issue portfolio.
- PolicyLink: National research and action institute advancing racial and economic equity through policy. Overlaps with WPUSA on housing, workforce, and inclusive economy work but operates at national scale with broader policy scope.
- Working America (AFL-CIO): AFL-CIO community affiliate organizing non-union workers around workplace issues and economic policy. Comparable grassroots canvassing, door-to-door engagement model, though operating nationally with labor-union backing.
Direct peers
- Jobs with Justice: National labor-community coalition network running local affiliates that organize around worker rights, wage campaigns, and anti-displacement policy. Highly comparable to WPUSA in approach and constituency, with broader geographic reach.
- Partnership for Working Families (now Future of Work / Bay Rising): Bay Area–based community-labor coalition that previously operated as Partnership for Working Families. Shares WPUSA's model of integrating policy research, coalition building, and worker-rights advocacy on housing, wages, and equity in California.
- Center for Popular Democracy: National network of progressive community organizations doing state and local organizing on worker rights, housing, and racial equity. Comparable operating model combining research, policy advocacy, and affiliate coalition building.
Regional players
- South Bay Labor Council: Central labor body for Santa Clara and San Benito counties AFL-CIO affiliates. A close WPUSA partner and co-convenor of the High Road Roundtable, with directly overlapping constituency and advocacy agenda.
- Urban Habitat: Bay Area equity organization focused on housing, transportation, and regional planning through a racial-equity lens. Overlaps directly with WPUSA's Just Cities work and shared Bay Area geography.
Others
- SEIU (Service Employees International Union): Major labor union representing service workers including property services and public-sector workers. Active WPUSA partner (SEIU Local 521) on AI accountability and tech service worker organizing; overlapping constituency though primarily a union rather than advocacy nonprofit.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights1 record
Customer concentration
Working Partnerships USA social profiles
Digital presenceWorking Partnerships USA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Working Partnerships USA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Working Partnerships USA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Working Partnerships USA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Working Partnerships USA
What does Working Partnerships USA do?
Working Partnerships USA is a nonprofit public policy and research institute that conducts grassroots organizing and policy advocacy to advance worker rights, affordable housing, and economic justice in Silicon Valley. It delivers workforce development programs (such as the Trades Orientation Program), worker rights education (Fair Workplace Collaborative), and multi-stakeholder coalition convening (South Bay and Peninsula High Road Roundtable, BAHRMI) targeting Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.
Is Working Partnerships USA a public or private company?
Working Partnerships USA is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Working Partnerships USA founded?
Working Partnerships USA was founded in 1995. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Working Partnerships USA based?
Working Partnerships USA is headquartered in San Jose, United States, in the North America region.
How does Working Partnerships USA make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Fundraising.
Who are Working Partnerships USA's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are National Employment Law Project, Center for Community Change, PolicyLink and Working America (AFL-CIO). Direct peers are Jobs with Justice, Partnership for Working Families (now Future of Work / Bay Rising) and Center for Popular Democracy. Regional players are South Bay Labor Council and Urban Habitat. SEIU (Service Employees International Union) is listed as an others.
Does Working Partnerships USA have an API?
No public API is recorded for Working Partnerships USA.
What industry is Working Partnerships USA in?
Working Partnerships USA's product category is Public Policy Advocacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAOAB, Employer-Led Workforce Partnerships & Sector Strategies, with a secondary code of EDAAAKAL, Remote/Hybrid Work Readiness & Digital Collaboration. Its NAICS code is 8133 and its SIC code is 8600.