The Structure and Operations of Social Enterprises in REDF's Social Innovation Fund Portfolio: Interim Report

REDF social enterprises are businesses that advance the public good and sell goods and services in order to provide jobs for hard-to-employ individuals. Initial findings from Mathematica's evaluation show that the enterprises served the hard to employ. Most workers were satisfied with their employment experience, perhaps because their lives appeared to improve after they obtained their position. Some workers, however, did not work many hours and about one-third left for negative or problematic reasons, suggesting that not all workers benefited from their experience. Short term employment also challenged businesses to maintain a skilled workforce and provide adequate support for employees.