RISE, The Mom Project's Non-Profit Upskilling Program, Delivers More Than $17 Million in Annual Total Salary Increases for its Graduates

The Mom Project, a leading digital talent and community platform serving more than one million moms and 3,000+ companies, and RISE, its 501(c) 3 upskilling program for women and moms of color, released its annual RISE 2022 Impact Report highlighting that the program has delivered more than $17 million in first-year aggregate total salary increase for its graduates. According to the report, RISE graduates have increased their annual salary on average by $9,564, translating to almost $1.1 million in potential economic earning impact over one's lifetime. The program also includes mentorship, a tech-enabled community, and networking opportunities for its participants.

"Today's job market increasingly places a premium on highly sought after technical skills. Recent research shows that up to 80% of employers prioritize skills over degrees, with many transitioning to a skills-first hiring strategy. Despite that, upskilling remains largely inaccessible to many professionals, especially women and moms of color," said Chandra Sanders, vice president, RISE. "We are extremely proud of the significant impact RISE has had on our graduates to date. Most of our graduates have pivoted to different careers, significantly improving their earning potential with quality economic opportunities as well as experiencing increased support at work, flexibility, and improved access to remote work options."

In 2022, RISE expanded its program reach by more than 200%. The program has processed more than 8,400 applications and awarded 4,500 scholarships with the goal to reach 10,000 scholarships by the end of 2023. In addition, RISE added new program offerings, including digital marketing, e-commerce, and customer success certifications, and developed a state-of-the-art machine learning matching strategy to strengthen its mentorship program for candidates.

"Creating economic opportunities for mom is core to our mission at The Mom Project, and RISE is a significant part of our goal to deliver $1 billion in economic impact over the next three years," said Allison Robinson, founder and CEO, The Mom Project. "However, it is even more motivating to see firsthand how our RISE candidates, many of whom are women and moms of color, are not only accelerating their career trajectory in meaningful ways, but are building highly sought after skills and confidence, to grow both personally and professionally."

Other key results highlighted in the 2022 RISE Impact Report:

• RISE program participants increased 144% from 2021 to 2022, with 1,859 participants in 2022;
• 74% of RISE graduates are currently active in the paid workforce space, a 51% increase in those active in paid workforce when comparing participants entering RISE (49%);
• 35% of RISE graduates received title elevation or increased responsibilities 6+ months after graduating;
• 47% of RISE graduates received an increase in total compensation among those who entered the program with a primary goal of career advancement;
• 3 out of 4 RISE graduates changed their career field, primary expertise, or industry.

The Mom Project founded RISE in 2020 as a direct response to the long-standing workplace biases and imbalances in representation for women and the increased gendered work crisis emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. The RISE program offers 11 certifications for in-demand jobs in the fields of data analytics, digital marketing and e-commerce, IT support, user experience (UX) design, and project management in several emergent industries. Through a customized training program powered by CareerCircle, the curriculum does not require a degree or experience to enroll and can be completed within 3-6 months.

"Our RISE program graduates overwhelmingly are highly qualified, educated, and talented women and mothers, and they bring immense value and in-demand skills to their employers. This talent pool is often overlooked by employers or filtered out by algorithms because their professional or educational backgrounds do not meet conventional hiring criteria. RISE is changing that narrative, and we have made significant strides to do so in 2022," adds Sanders.

For the full report, please click here: link to live report.

About The Mom Project

The Mom Project is the leading digital talent and community platform for moms to discover their economic potential. Serving over one million moms and 3,000+ companies through its robust suite of hiring, career education and talent retention solutions, The Mom Project is supporting mothers in finding economic opportunity on their own terms. Headquartered in Chicago, the company was founded in 2016 by Allison Robinson, who serves as CEO, has raised $116M in funding to date, the largest global investment in female workforce development. Serena Williams joined The Mom Project as a strategic advisor to further mobilize the mission in 2020. Additionally, The Mom Project's non-profit RISE helps women of color find greater economic opportunity through multifaceted support and upskilling total more than 7000 scholarships to date. For more information, please visit www.themomproject.com.

About RISE at The Mom Project

RISE, a 501(c) 3 program as part of momproject.org, is a scholarship program committed to accelerating equity for moms and women of color by providing access to highly-desirable upskilling tech certifications through a customized curriculum powered by CareerCircle?in six months or less, and at no cost to participants. RISE, powered by The Mom Project, empowers women to accelerate their professional lives and earning potential in a way that is attainable and realistic, setting moms up for long-term success. To date, RISE has awarded more than 7600 scholarships across 1,400 cities to individuals. RISE was named one of Fast Company's World Changing Ideas in 2022, and Inc's 2023 17 Ventures That Embody the U.N.'s 17 Sustainability Goals.