Institute for Work & the Economy

What Institute for Work & the Economy does

The Institute for Work & the Economy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit policy and research collaborative focused on workforce and economic development. It was incorporated in 2000 in association with Northern Illinois University's Center for Governmental Studies and became independent in 2007. The organization operates with a small staff of 1–10 employees and a 20-member Board of Directors, leveraging a broader network of fellows and partners to "punch above its weight" on complex projects. Its headquarters are at 203 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 2100, Chicago, Illinois.

The Institute's core "products" are research programs and policy initiatives rather than commercial software. The active portfolio includes: AI In Work (a research initiative with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign building a field-based library on AI's workplace impact), Employment & Fair Access (practical tools for hiring managers and workforce professionals), Soybean Product Innovation (including the SpringBoard Funding Initiative awarding up to $40,000 for soy-based R&D with the Illinois Soybean Association), Broadband Equity evaluation (ABE-LINC project in Chicago), the IWE Ideas Incubator (fiscal agent for workforce innovators), and the Many Futures of Work initiative (launched 2017, accompanied by a Temple University Press book). The Institute also co-developed the WOKE (Workforce Open Knowledge Exchange) semantic ontology with Syracuse University.

The Institute is funded primarily through grants and contracts from foundations (Annie E. Casey Foundation, Joyce Foundation, MacArthur Foundation), government agencies (U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Economic Development Administration), and corporate donors (Walmart, Chicago Federation of Labor), supplemented by individual donations. It serves policymakers, business and employer leaders, workforce development professionals, and community organizations, primarily across the Midwest and the broader United States. Distribution occurs through digital publishing, conferences, podcasts, project partnerships, and direct engagement with policymakers.

Name

Institute for Work & the Economy

Legal name

Institute for Work & the Economy

Website

https://workandeconomy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Institute for Work & the Economy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit policy and research collaborative that conducts workforce and economic development research, serving policymakers, employers, workforce professionals, and community organizations through grant-funded programs and community-led initiatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Policy Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Educational Services (611), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADAMAJ

Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Trade & Economic Development

Keywords

• Workforce policy research
• Economic development policy
• Inclusive hiring research
• AI workplace adoption
• Immigrant integration research

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Contracts: Project work is mostly supported by grants and contracts from foundations and government agencies.
2. Donations and Contributions: Independent explorations of emerging issues and pro bono work supporting grassroots groups are made possible through supporter contributions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Institute is a nonprofit policy and research collaborative that produces workforce and economic development research, policy recommendations, and program evaluations. It runs research programs on AI in work, employment and fair access, soybean product innovation, and broadband equity, while also functioning as a fiscal agent and incubator for workforce innovators. Its work is primarily supported by grants, contracts, and donations from foundations, government agencies, and individual supporters.

Product overview

The Institute for Work & the Economy operates as a policy and research collaborative offering multiple research programs and initiatives rather than commercial software products. Its portfolio includes AI In Work (research on AI workplace impact), Employment & Fair Access (inclusive economy tools), Soybean Product Innovation (sustainable agriculture research with SpringBoard Funding), Broadband Equity evaluation, and the IWE Ideas Incubator. The organization also developed WOKE (Workforce Open Knowledge Exchange) as a semantic framework tool, and publishes research through its book "The Many Futures of Work."

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AI In Work A research initiative building a field-based library documenting how AI impacts workers and businesses, and developing playbooks, metrics, practices, and policy tools supporting fair and effective AI adoption. Targeted at policymakers, employers, and workforce leaders.
• Employment & Fair Access An initiative creating practical tools and communication resources that empower hiring managers and workforce professionals to implement fair access practices for diverse talent. Aimed at hiring managers, workforce professionals, business, education, and workforce leaders.
• Soybean Product Innovation and SpringBoard Funding Initiative A partnership with the Illinois Soybean Association and its Soy Innovation Center to expand non-food uses of soybeans and create renewable alternatives to petroleum-based products, including the annual SpringBoard Funding Initiative that awards up to $40,000 for soy-based product R&D aligned with Illinois Soybean Association priorities.
• Broadband Equity (ABE-LINC) A project evaluator role on ABE-LINC, a participatory Community Navigator program addressing digital inequity in historically underserved Chicago communities, measuring benefits for Digital Navigators, households, and small businesses.
• IWE Ideas Incubator An incubator advancing new thinking in workforce and economic development by serving as fiscal agent for innovators and providing a public platform to amplify their ideas.
• Workforce Open Knowledge Exchange (WOKE) An open knowledge exchange developed with Syracuse University School of Information Studies, including a workforce ontology, knowledge base, user interfaces, and tools for automatic knowledge capture for the workforce system.
• The Many Futures of Work An initiative that began in 2017 with a conference uniting frontline workers, organizers, and policymakers to shape fairer work policies. It bridges expert insight with community wisdom to drive lasting change in workforce and economic development.

Quantifiable outcome

• SpringBoard Funding Initiative awards up to $40,000 for soy-based product R&D

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, core, major, minor and historical.

• NEIU (Northeastern Illinois University)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Partner in ABE-LINC project alongside Chicago State University and UIC, working to promote access, inclusion, and digital opportunity across Chicago.
• Illinois Soybean AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Institute partners with the Illinois Soybean Association and its Soy Innovation Center to expand non-food uses of soybeans, create renewable alternatives to petroleum-based products, and grow new markets. The Institute manages the SpringBoard Funding Initiative, an annual competition awarding up to $40,000 for soy-based product R&D.
• University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with faculty from the University of Illinois on the AI in Work project, including a companion podcast and ongoing expansion of research on AI's impact on workers and businesses.
• Chicago State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago State University leads the ABE-LINC participatory Community Navigator program addressing digital inequity in Chicago. The Institute serves as project evaluator, measuring benefits for Digital Navigators, households, and small businesses in underserved areas.
• National Governors AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on multi-state project supporting state efforts to understand and analyze the on-demand economy and implement policies supporting economic opportunity for on-demand workers.
• Migration Policy InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on immigrant integration research, including studies on manufacturing in the U.S., Mexico and Central America, and employment barriers for immigrants with advance education.
• RTI InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on state of the art workforce development policies in emerging regional economies and the Learning States Initiative exploring emerging markets.
• Aspen InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSub-grantee on a study of innovative apprenticeships, conducting interviews of employers who developed and implemented these apprenticeships.
• UIC (University of Illinois Chicago)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in ABE-LINC project alongside Chicago State University and NEIU for broadband equity evaluation work.
• Temple University PresssupportingOthersPublisher of the Institute's book 'The Many Futures of Work: Rethinking Expectations and Breaking Molds'.
• Northern Illinois UniversityhistoricalStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Institute was incorporated in 2000 in association with Northern Illinois University's Center for Governmental Studies before becoming independent in 2007.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Migration Policy Institute: A policy research institute focused on the movement of people worldwide, with a comparable structure: independent nonprofit, small research staff, board governance, and grant-funded policy research. Listed as a direct Major partner of the Institute for Work & the Economy on immigrant integration research.
• Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP): A national nonprofit advancing policy solutions for low-income people, with deep focus on workforce development, job quality, and equitable employment. Directly comparable in mission to the Institute's fair access and workforce equity initiatives.
• Economic Policy Institute: A nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank focused on economic policy, wages, and workforce issues. Closely comparable in mission and audience to the Institute's economic inclusion and fair access work, with similar grant-funded research and policy advocacy model.
• W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research: A nonprofit research organization focused specifically on employment, workforce development, and labor economics. Highly comparable as a peer in workforce policy research with similar grant-funded operating model and academic rigor.

Broad incumbents

• Aspen Institute: A much larger, broader policy and leadership nonprofit that operates workforce-related programs (including apprenticeship work in which the Institute has been a sub-grantee). Comparable as a policy research and convening organization but with substantially greater scale and broader portfolio.
• National Urban League: A historic civil rights and workforce equity organization serving communities through direct programs and policy advocacy. Connected to the Institute through Board member Cy Richardson, with substantially larger scale and broader mission including direct service delivery.
• Mathematica Policy Research: A large nonpartisan research organization delivering evidence-based insights on health, education, and workforce policy. Comparable as a research and evaluation partner (the Institute serves as project evaluator for ABE-LINC), but operates at substantially greater scale.
• RTI International: A large nonprofit research institute delivering science-based policy and program research across workforce, economic, and social policy. Listed as a Major partner on Learning States Initiative work, and operates at substantially larger scale than the Institute across all research domains.
• National Governors Association: A bipartisan association of U.S. governors that convenes state leadership on workforce and economic policy. Direct Major partner on the on-demand economy project, but operates at dramatically larger scale as a governmental membership organization rather than a small research collaborative.

Regional players

• Chicago Federation of Labor: A regional labor federation representing Chicago-area unions and focused on workforce equity, pre-apprenticeship, and youth pathways. Directly comparable in workforce focus and a Minor funder and Board-connected partner, but operates as a labor membership body rather than a research collaborative.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLZ4JYAqSxO0H3kqD9vK5vT5R9L6Y1Z3K
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-for-work-the-economy
• Xx.com/Working_Tweet
• Facebookfacebook.com/InstituteforWorkandtheEconomy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institute for Work & the Economy