BACK TO WORK 50+: WOMEN’S ECONOMIC STABILITY INITIATIVE

(WESI)

Subgrant Competition: Round 2

Program Overview

September 21, 2015

AARP Foundation

MISSION

AARP Foundation serves

vulnerable people 50+ by

creating and advancing

effective solutions that help

them secure the essentials.

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BACK TO WORK 50+: WESI Team

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• Emily Allen, VP - Income

• Marc McDonald, Director - Grants

• Joanna Wald, Compliance Manager - Grants

• Lori Strauss, Program Manager - Income

• Joscelyn Silsby, Senior Advisor - Evaluation

• Sharvell Becton, Program Manager - Income

• Peg Walton, AACC BTW 50+ Director

Older women who cannot build economic

stability in their 50s and 60s risk poverty

later in life

• Many workers age 50-64 are raising children and

helping aging parents

• Over 1 million are unemployed and under-employed

• Unemployed are unable to build the savings necessary

to secure a stable retirement

• 60% of women 65 and older have incomes insufficient

to cover basic, daily expenses

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The Intervention

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BACK TO WORK 50+: Women’s Economic

Stability Initiative (WESI) is a proactive intervention

to decrease the number of women who slip into

poverty later in life.

WESI builds a pipeline of opportunities and supports

to help women age 50-64 improve their ability to

generate income through employment, and manage

it effectively for as long as needed.

Current WESI Subgrantees

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• Austin Community College

• Austin, Texas

• Central New Mexico Community College

• Albuquerque, New Mexico

• Eastern Florida State College

• Brevard County, Florida

• Santa Fe College

• North-Central Florida

• Santa Fe Community College

• Santa Fe County, New Mexico

Social Innovation Fund Overview

SIF Mission

To find solutions that

work and make them

work for more people.

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• Implement

• Evaluate

• Sustain & Scale

Building Awareness and

Engaging Candidates

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Targeted marketing &

outreach

Toll free number, AARP

Foundation Call Center, mailed

resources

Local Information Sessions

Candidates

Selected

Core Services, Training, and

Employer Access

o Common core services

• Comprehensive

assessment

• Individual & cohort coaching

• Job search skills

development

• Supportive services

• Financial capability

• Computer skills assessment

& training

o Specific skills training for

in-demand jobs

o Employer access & work

experience opportunities

throughout

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What we have learned from BACK

TO WORK 50+ so far:

• Preliminary evidence that components of the

model are achieving the outcomes we want to see

• Job candidates need coaching and individual

assistance

• Local partnerships are essential to connecting job

candidates with employment

• Core Services reflect lessons learned

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WESI Evaluation:

Building on Preliminary Evidence

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• Implementation Evaluation Describes how the program is being implemented

• Impact Evaluation Determines whether the program is in fact increasing women’s

economic stability

• Key Stakeholders • Job candidates & students

• Social Policy Research Associates

• College IRBs

• AARP Foundation

SIF’s Evidence Framework

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Program model is supported by theoretical framework and/or previous research

Completed evaluation(s) that support causal

conclusions with large range of participants or multiple evaluations

supporting the same

conclusion

Evaluations that support causal conclusions but cannot be generalized beyond the study group

Minimum level of evidence required to receive SIF funding

All grantees must reach moderate in 3-5 years.

Preliminary Moderate Strong

Building Sustainability and Scale

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Social Innovation Fund is built upon public/private

funding model

• AARP Foundation (intermediary grantee) matches

initial SIF grant 1:1

• Community colleges (subgrantees) match subgrant 1:1

• Result is an exponential investment

By investing in and evaluating programs at the local level,

AARP Foundation and community colleges will be able to

make the case for funding from other organizations to

increase the reach of BTW 50+: WESI

Understanding the Match Requirement

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For match, colleges can use:

• Any unrestricted cash funds, as long as they didn’t come

from any federal sources

• Funds from state, local or private sources, businesses,

private philanthropic organizations

• Program income, including tuition

Match is demonstrated by expenses

funded by revenue sources above

• Staff time

• Indirect costs

• Session costs

AARP Foundation and AACC Provide

On-going Program Technical Assistance

• BACK TO WORK 50+: WESI program manager supports

each college

• AACC manages a Community of Practice with regular

meetings to share learning

• AARP Foundation Impact system enables you to track

data and we provide training and ongoing support for local

teams

• National evaluation team will design and manage

evaluations of each BTW 50+: WESI program

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Subgrantee participation and

sample budget

• Each CC hosts 8 cohort waves over 34 months

• Each CC participates in evaluation

• Sample budget for each location:

Year 1: $370k ($185k Grant/$185k Match)

Year 2: $370k ($185k Grant/$185k Match)

Year 3: $370k ($185k Grant/$185k Match) Total

Investment: $1.1 million

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Grant Award ranges from

$100,000-$200,000 per year

Who is eligible to apply?

1. Non-profit and state/county community colleges

2. Located in AL, AZ, CA, FL, GA, IL, MS, NM, NY,

NC, SC, TN, and TX

3. Serve low-income communities and want to target

resources to support older women.

4. Current BACK TO WORK 50+ community colleges

AND community colleges with interest in adapting

similar efforts to use this model

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How Do You Apply?

Step 1: Get Familiar with BACK TO

WORK 50+: WESI

Step 2: Submit a Letter of Intent

Step 3: Prepare and Apply

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www.aarpfoundation.org/sif

Timeline

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• September 25, 2015 Letter of Intent

• October 22, 2015 Proposals due

• By November 5, 2015 AARP FDN requests for clarification

• November 12, 2015 Deadline for clarification

• November 12-19, 2015 Site visits (virtual and actual) to finalists

• By December 17, 2015 Subgrantees announced and agreements emailed

• By January 15, 2016 Subgrant agreements returned to AARP FDN

• February/March, 2016 Subgrantee convening

Questions?

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BACK TO WORK 50+:

Women’s Economic Stability Initiative

www.aarpfoundation.org/sif

Send questions to:

sif@aarp.org