Search Nonprofits

Since 1989, Elijah’s Promise has harnessed the power of food to break the cycle of poverty, alleviate hunger and change lives for the most vulnerable members of our Central New Jersey community. We operate a community soup kitchen, culinary arts school, catering business, community gardens and connect low-income individuals and families with social and health services. With the support of volunteers, donors and community partners, we serve more than 200,000 free meals per year and train previously unskilled workers for careers in the culinary arts.

Research shows that employment is a chief "trigger" in aiding those with the greatest barriers to work in their transition from poverty to productivity and greater prosperity. Nearly three-fourths of poverty spells end with a rise in earnings and employment occurs twice as frequently as any other event associated with an exit from poverty. Employment also encourages social mobility in addition to providing an economic benefit. A job strengthens human capital, facilitates access to financial capital, builds interpersonal skills, and enhances social networks. Having a job boosts employees' self-confidence and is source of dignity and pride. But entering and staying in the workforce is extremely difficult for many people who live in protracted poverty and have also confronted homelessness, health problems, fragmented families, incarceration, and inadequate access to a good education. The private sector is often unwilling to hire employees facing these barriers or provide adequate support to address the many challenges that can undermine their success once on the job. Few workforce development programs have achieved positive outcomes preparing those workers that are most disconnected to jobs, or creating durable pathways to employment. MDRC, one of the premiere researchers in this area, summarizes this consensus: "For at least three decades, policymakers, researchers, and program operators have developed and studied strategies to help people who face serious obstacles to steady work. Despite the broad policy interest in serving the hard-to-employ, knowledge about effective program strategies is still relatively undeveloped." REDF is uniquely positioned to address this problem. Our successful track record of building the capacity of nonprofits to operate social enterprises and the success those businesses have demonstrated in employing, retaining and advancing their employees is a solid foundation to build on as we invest in our new portfolio and expand the role we play with the organizations that we intensely supported for many years.

LifeTime Projects organises humanitarian and ecological projects in Bolivia, Guatemala, England and Cameroon. Our projects are all set up with local partner organizations in order to help build upon ongoing projects designed by, and for local people to help and empower vulnerable children, women and families and/or to protect local wildlife.

HOPE brings help and hope to the world's poorest families. Our vision is to work with local communities to bring clean water and other basic needs to villages and communities in remote areas of the world.

SkillsUSA's mission is to empower its members become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens.

To change the way the world defines and views disability by making profound, positive differences in people’s lives every day.

Life Project 4 Youth’s mission is to facilitate the social and professional insertion of excluded Young Adults living in extreme poverty, anywhere in the world.

Winrock International is a nonprofit organization that works with people in the United States and around the world to empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity and sustain natural resources. Winrock matches innovative approaches in agriculture, natural resources management, clean energy and leadership development with the unique needs of its partners. By linking local individuals and communities with new ideas and technology, Winrock is increasing long-term productivity, equity and responsible resource management to benefit the poor and disadvantaged of the world.