Collaborating with Faith- and Community-Based Organizations: Lessons Learned from 12 Workforce Investment Boards

Faith-based and community organizations have the potential to be valuable partners in the workforce investment system. This report presents findings from Mathematica’s evaluation of grants to Workforce Investment Boards to increase the number of faith-based and community organizations providing services in the One-Stop system. The grants are also intended to expand One-Stop access to groups that have not traditionally used this service. The report notes that faith-based and community organizations can extend the workforce system’s reach to underserved populations, provide services tailored to meet the needs of hard-to-serve job seekers, help people with significant barriers to employment find jobs, and leverage community resources.