The Rockefeller Foundation on Oct. 26 launched a coalition seeking $1 billion to help Americans find and keep work as artificial intelligence and automation reshape jobs, with launch partners having committed more than $800 million.
The foundation’s announcement headline set a goal of connecting 500,000 Americans to good jobs. The announcement did not give a deadline for that target or explain how it would count a connection, and it did not define what qualifies as a good job. It also did not set a timetable for the $1 billion goal.
The initiative expects to work with as many as 250 communities over five years. It will focus on places where residents have experienced job losses or may face losses tied to artificial intelligence and automation. The foundation said it expects to select the communities in the coming months.
The plan addresses barriers that can make available jobs difficult to take, including childcare costs, limited transportation and training that does not match employers’ needs. The coalition is also expected to bring together leaders from workforce development and early childhood education.
Derek Kilmer, the foundation’s senior vice president for U.S. Program and Policy, said philanthropy can help workers reach “jobs that are open right now.”
Workers and communities are the initiative’s intended beneficiaries, but the announcement did not explain how funds will be allocated or how much of the commitments represents new funding. It also did not describe how the coalition will assess whether its work has connected people to good jobs.
In January 2027, coalition members plan to start meeting regularly to consider possible approaches, test them and expand those that work. The announcement gave no meeting schedule beyond the start month.
