Building a future that works—for everyone

JFF was founded to help states meet economic demands

Founded by Arthur H. White and Hilary Pennington, JFF launches partnerships with states to revamp education and workforce systems to meet pressing economic demands. Gov. Bill Clinton encourages them to bring the idea to Arkansas and JFF quickly expands to six states.

Opening a policy office in Washington, DC

JFF opens a second office in Washington, DC in 2008, focused on education and workforce policy, to advocate for the adoption of federal policies, informed by practice, that accelerate credential attainment and career advancement.

Launch of Congressional Staff Network

The Policy & Advocacy Unit provides senior congressional staff with ongoing, critical access to education and workforce development system experts, practitioners, and participants through JFF’s Congressional Staff Network (CSN). The CSN takes policy staff out of the Washington, DC bubble, exposing them to evidence-based practices and challenges that confront our U.S. education and workforce development systems. Staff make valuable contacts and see the real-world implications of their policy work. The CSN is in its 15th year, providing at least three DC-based forums and two site visits annually.

Influencing community college practice and policy through JFF Networks

The Student Success Center Network (SSCN) scales proven practices to help more than 4.5 million students earn credentials that lead to well-paying jobs. Nearly half of U.S. community colleges are connected to the SSCN.

Managed by JFF since 2012, the SSCN partners with nearly half of all community colleges in the United States to develop, implement, and scale student success strategies. Each of the 17 statewide Student Success Centers works with community colleges in their state to increase student completion rates, close equity gaps, and strengthen communities.

Opening a West Coast office

JFF opens our third office in Oakland, California, in 2015 and launches a body of work, with funding from the Irvine Foundation and The California Endowment, to support regional- and state-level networks of leaders from education, workforce development, and industry in California. The work advances high-quality career pathways and other strategies promoting economic security for youth and adults.

Launch of JFFLabs

JFF announces the launch of JFFLabs at the NewCo Shift Forum in San Francisco. JFFLabs provides strategy and acceleration services to scale workforce and education solutions. Working closely with some of the nation’s foremost corporations, entrepreneurs, and institutions, JFFLabs drives innovation in education and workforce systems through market insights, incubating solutions, and investing in promising companies.

JFF establishes Research & Analytics Unit

JFF establishes the Research & Analytics Unit to institutionalize the application of our research and evaluation capacity to drive evidence-based practice and policy and deepen our impact in the field.