The Mom Project Launches $500K 'Stronger Together' Fund To Keep Moms Working

CHICAGO, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mom Project, the leading career destination for moms, today announced a special program that will fund $500,000 in grants to boost employment and support businesses amidst the economic turbulence caused by COVID-19. In addition, the company has added several key initiatives and product enhancements aimed at bolstering female workforce participation and arming companies with powerful insights.

The swelling impact of COVID-19 has left many in its wake, but working moms face a particularly grueling strain. The economic impact of working moms' coronavirus-related anxiety is estimated at $341 billion, and approximately 60 percent of the jobs eliminated in the first wave of pandemic-induced layoffs were held by women. More losses are expected as stay-at-home mandates are being extended in many states, and the timeline for an eventual reopening of the economy (and childcare options) remains unclear.

"Right now, our community of moms and businesses need us more than ever," said Allison Robinson, CEO and Founder at The Mom Project. "The Stronger Together Fund is an extension of our commitment to the potential of moms in the workforce and we will invest in what we are uniquely qualified to do; bring companies and moms together to make businesses and families stronger."

"For the first time since the quarantine began, I don't feel like my career is doomed," said Erica Naranjo Cancasci, a Mom Project Community Member from Chicago.

In addition to the Stronger Together Fund, The Mom Project has delivered several key initiatives to support working parents and hiring partners since March; 

• Remote Job Opportunities: Through its job marketplace, The Mom Project connects its talent community with full time, part-time, and project-based roles at family friendly employers, now with an increased emphasis on 100% remote roles, which have grown by 318% since February.
• Enhanced Employee Experience: WerkLabs, the insights division of The Mom Project, helps business leaders answer their biggest questions to better support and engage employees as the workplace evolves. Companies seeking to understand both current obstacles to employee productivity and the critical strategies required to transition employees from fully remote work back to an office environment or hybrid will benefit from WerkLabs' predictive people analytics. Their proprietary model was recently enhanced to include the socio-emotional characteristics that may affect employees as they WFH (work from home).
• Resume Rev: The Resume Rev product and 5-Day Resume Guide was made available to all, allowing moms to quickly produce a crisp, clean resume that can be used to apply for jobs on the Mom Project job marketplace, or downloaded to apply for jobs anywhere a resume is needed.
• Pro-Bono Career Coaching: The Unity Program was initiated to match individuals impacted by COVID-19 hardships, pairing them with pro bono professional coaching and resume review services. To date, The Unity Program Matching has supported over 500 requests for assistance with more than 1,000 hours of professional coaching offered in the coming weeks.

Businesses interested in learning more or requesting a grant through The Mom Project's Stronger Together Fund, please visit : https://work.themomproject.com/stronger-together-fund. Moms and jobseekers in need of support please visit The Mom Project to register for access to free tools, resources or to request assistance.

About The Mom Project
The Mom Project is the leader in helping businesses attract and retain female talent. With a community of over 250,000 talented professionals and more than 2,000 companies, The Mom Project is committed to building a better workplace for mothers and the businesses they support by harnessing the often overlooked intellectual workplace power of moms. The Chicago-based company was founded in 2016 by Allison Robinson, who serves as CEO, and has raised $11M in funding to date, including a Series A of $8M led by Grotech Ventures, Initialized Capital and Aspect Ventures, along with previous backers Atlanta Seed Company, Engage Ventures, OCA Ventures, BBG Ventures, IrishAngels and Wintrust Financial. Serena Williams joined The Mom Project as a Strategic Advisor in early 2020 to further mobilize the mission.

About WerkLabs 
Founded in 2020 after The Mom Project's acquisition of Werk.co, WerkLabs serves all companies and employees and is not specifically focused on women or moms, but in building a better workplace for all. In addition to its Employee Experience Index and Remote Experience Index, WerkLabs offers research and support for corporate leaders on other important workplace topics including DE&I, benefits and policy advisory, and M&A transitions. Led by Dr. Pamela Cohen, PhD, WerkLabs goes beyond insights, leveraging behavioral science and predictive analytics to help companies identify which changes will have the greatest impact on employee engagement and offer the best return on investment for the business. As companies look to create more flexible workplaces and productive remote work environments, WerkLabs offers partners actionable, data-driven recommendations that will have a meaningful impact on team and individual effectiveness.

SOURCE The Mom Project