About the Study

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) funded contractor Abt Associates to develop two evaluation reports for projects funded under the Workforce Innovation Fund (WIF) initiative: The Workforce Innovation Fund (WIF): A Synthesis Report on Evaluation Findings and Experiences and Process Study of the U.S. Department of Labor’s “Pay for Success” Pilots in Two States. The WIF initiative awarded 45 grants, allowing for the implementation of employment-related interventions. Of these, 43 had conventional grant financing structures and were intended to a) support new and innovative approaches to workforce services and b) build on and expand use of evaluation research in the workforce system. The other 2 grants out of the total 45 awarded were aimed attesting use of a Pay for Success (PFS) financing model, under which the initial costs of services are paid by investors who are repaid, possibly with a substantial return, only when specific, pre-determined results are achieved and verified.

This Department of Labor-funded study was a result of the annual process to determine the department’s research priorities for the upcoming year. They contribute to the labor evidence-base to inform employment and training programs and policies and addresses departmental strategic goals and priorities.

Project End Date: July 2022

Contractor: Abt Associates

For More Information: ChiefEvaluationOffice@dol.gov

This study was sponsored by the Employment and Training Administration, Office of Policy Development and Research, Division of Research and Evaluation, and was produced outside of CEO’s standard research development process.