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All across the country, ordinary Americans are doing extraordinary things in their communities to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world. Champions of Change allows this Administration to identify, recognize, and honor extraordinary people who are enabling employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals.
Nominated by the American people and chosen by the White House, employment leaders will be invited to the White House to celebrate their accomplishments and showcase their action in support of stronger and safer communities.
Champions of Change represent those employers who are:
- Providing job opportunities to individuals with a criminal record and/or creating and implementing model screening or hiring policies,
- Following a period of incarceration are personally demonstrating an exemplary record of employment or entrepreneurial success and in turn providing employment opportunities and mentorship to the reentry population,
- Creating effective education, training, mentoring and other transitional programs to help individuals with a criminal record improve employment outcomes,
- Advocating for policy and legislative changes that lead to increased employment opportunities for individuals with a criminal record; and/or
- Leveraging technology to increase access to employment-related reentry services, education and skills-building for individuals with a criminal record.
Browse through the pages on this website to learn how you and your company can become your community’s Champions of Change.
Ready to Work Partnership
Champions of Change is part of the President’s commitment to help the long-term unemployed. For example, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Ready to Work Partnership was authorized by President Obama to serve the long term unemployed which include many of the formerly incarcerated population. This grant competition will support and scale innovative partnerships between employers, nonprofit organizations, and America's public workforce system. This effort is aimed at building a pipeline of talented U.S. workers while offering help to those experiencing long-term unemployment gain access to employment services that provide opportunities that result in a to return to work in middle- and high-skill jobs. Approximately 20 to 30 grants ranging from $3 million to $10 million will be awarded to programs focused on employer engagement, individualized counseling, job placement assistance and work-based training that facilitate hiring for jobs where employers may otherwise use foreign workers on H-1B visas.
