Cara Plus Awarded $725K Funding from Walmart
Investment to fuel inclusive employment portfolio for leader in poverty alleviation.
Cara Plus, and its parent organization Cara Collective, announced today a partnership with Walmart, which includes an investment of $725K from the national retailer to expand Cara Plus’ inclusive employment work.
As a social enterprise of Cara Collective, Cara Plus’ inclusive employment portfolio helps corporations drive actionable change to hire and cultivate talent that has been historically sidelined from economic opportunity. This work leverages the organization’s 30-year history connecting overlooked talent to 11,600 jobs at 70% same-firm, one-year retention rates.
“Our communities are home to motivated, talented individuals that bring unique skills and perspectives to employers,” said Patti Constantakis, Director of Retail Opportunity at Walmart.org. “Where systemic challenges deny these individuals the dignity of a job, organizations like Cara are uniquely positioned to support employers as they build more inclusive organizations and shift the narrative on disparity in opportunity.”
This investment will accelerate Cara Plus’ ability to assist more employers in achieving their inclusive hiring goals through its cohort-based programs and one-on-one assistance. Additionally, funding will go towards Cara Plus’ work to shift the narrative on talent using the documentary The Road Up, which features the stories of four Cara participants to inspire conversations on the structural barriers that keep people out of work. Cara Plus will also deploy a first-of-its-kind study on what job quality and advancement means from the perspective of frontline workers.
“We have witnessed an unprecedented number of companies committing to ambitious inclusion goals this past year,” said Maria Kim, President & CEO of Cara Collective. “Cara Plus’ growth is driven by the need to transform these commitments into actions that strengthen both the companies and the communities from which they are drawing talent.”
After holding three successful cohorts for employers interested in adopting inclusive hiring practices, Cara Plus will launch its Retention & Advancement Institute this May for employers interested in reducing turnover and strengthening advancement opportunities. Click here to learn more.
About Philanthropy at Walmart
Walmart.org represents the philanthropic efforts of Walmart and the Walmart Foundation. By focusing where the business has unique strengths, Walmart.org works to tackle key social and environmental issues and collaborate with others to spark long-lasting systemic change. Walmart has stores in 26 countries, employs more than 2.2 million associates and does business with thousands of suppliers who, in turn, employ millions of people. Walmart.org is helping people live better by supporting programs to accelerate upward job mobility for frontline workers, advance equity, address hunger, build inclusive economic opportunity for people in supply chains, protect and restore nature, reduce waste and emissions, and build strong communities where Walmart operates. To learn more, visit www.walmart.org or connect on Twitter @Walmartorg.
About Cara Plus
Cara Plus engages employers and organizations across the nation to foster an inclusive economy where organizations – and all talent within them – have the ability and opportunity to thrive. Since our launch, Cara Plus has worked with dozens of socially minded organizations to adopt or adapt Cara’s trainings and methodology. To learn more, please visit www.caraplus.org.
