Through the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s Reinventing Our Communities (ROC) Program, Humanature was invited to serve as both subject matter experts and technical assistance providers. We opened the program with a plenary workshop for all ROC cohorts, introducing human-centered design and human ecology as powerful lenses for workforce development—equipping participants to see how human development and performance sciences could inform new approaches to both employee well-being and employer outcomes.

As technical assistance providers, we partnered closely with regional cohorts, including The Wilmington Alliance, a backbone organization dedicated to expanding opportunity for justice-involved individuals. With a large volume of Delaware’s workforce program participants and potential participants directly impacted by incarceration—and 100% carrying the universal effects of trauma—the Alliance needed strategies that moved beyond generic workforce interventions. We facilitated candid, and often overdue, conversations about the role of philanthropy, examining how funding choices, timelines, and expectations shape what’s possible on the ground. We also created space for honest dialogues they could use with employers, pressing them to consider what changes they were truly willing to make within their own systems to advance equity and not sacrifice the company’s bottom line or profitability, challenging zero-sum game narratives and operating models.

Drawing on the sciences of human development, learning, and performance, Humanature helped translate the often-misunderstood concept of “human capital” across business, philanthropy, and the social sector. We equipped the Alliance with models, tools, and language that resonated across these audiences, and designed follow-up workshops to support funders and employers ready to move from conversation into action.