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Seasonal employers gear up to hire Maine teens

David Singer

March 26, 2019 |

WGME-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Portland, Maine

As an effort to bolster the economy and help teenagers join the workforce, the Maine Department of Labor launched a pilot program that gives organizations stipends for hiring teenagers into the seasonal workforce. While the pilot program may not continue due to Department goals and standards, organizations report that the stipends help their organization hire exceptional workers.

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Companies helping employees tackle student loan debt

Amanda Brandeis

March 25, 2019 |

KGTV-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, San Diego, California

Companies get creative to help their employees tackle student debt by offering loan assistance as well as carrying over unused paid time off into a fund to chip away at debt. In San Diego, Fidelity Investments has found higher employee retention and workplace happiness with the addition of loan assistance as a benefit for employees with student debt.

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Inside the Crowdfunded Charity Helping Refugees by Topping Up Their Phones

Alissa Greenberg

March 20, 2019 |

Pacific Standard |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: France, Calais

For many refugees living in camps and on the move, mobile phones can be a life line to families and the outside world. Phones can help organize political activities, arrange medical supplies, and so much more. But although SIM cards are fairly cheap now, data can be expensive. To address this, a Facebook group called Phone Credit for Refugees and Displaced People, or PC4R, raises funds for refugees to top up their mobile phones to support free and dignified communication.

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The $15 Minimum Wage Doesn't Just Improve Lives. It Saves Them.

Matthew Desmond

February 21, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Emeryville

Economists have often debated the positives of a higher minimum wage in the United States as a matter of productivity, profits, and losses but in this article, Matthew Desmond explores another way that the success of increasing minimum wage can be measured: through public health and impacts on things like depression, anxiety, stress, and more. Studies have shown that higher minimum wages have been connected to lower rates of teenage alcohol consumption and preventing premature deaths.

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This grantmaker wants to break white men's stranglehold on philanthropic donations

Adele Peters

February 19, 2019 |

FastCompany |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States

A grantmaking organization known as The Solutions Project seeks to diversify the traditional white male-dominated world of philanthropy by pledging to invest 95% of its resources in renewable energy projects led by people of color, and 80% to organizations led by women. Recognizing that these populations are often the most affected by dirty energy and climate change, The Solutions Project is building on past investment successes, like a project that turned an old school into solar-powered housing for seniors.

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Gig economy platform Thumbtack is helping its users get benefits

Eillie Anzilotti

February 19, 2019 |

FastCompany |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

The National Domestic Workers Alliance created a platform called Alia to deliver job benefits to home cleaners. Now, the NDWA is partnering with Thumbtack, a gig economy platform, in order to deliver this service to thousands more workers around the country. Alia allows employers to pay into a portable benefits fund for each cleaning session, funding paid time off and other job benefits.

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This Country Gave People $640 A Month, No Strings Attached. Here's What Happened.

Laura Paddison

February 08, 2019 |

The Huffington Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Finland

In Finland, preliminary results from the country's first experiments with Universal Basic Income are being released - and while impacts on employment rates are still up in the air, providing a basic income seemed to improve overall well-being and reduce financial stress amongst participants. It is among a group of basic income pilots taking place across the world, including in countries like Kenya and Canada, but detractors of the expensive program say that the results don't prove it's a success quite yet.

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New Platform Gives Black-Led Baltimore Groups a Chance to Shine

Jared Brey

February 07, 2019 |

Next City |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

New grassroots efforts often struggle to get off the ground due to lack of funding. In Baltimore, a group called CLLCTIVLY aims to fix this problem for black-led non-profit organizations by offering a $1,000 prize every month for a year through its Black Futures Micro-Grant program. CLLCTIVLY has also launched an asset map to connect these smaller efforts to each other.

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Oregon Bottle Deposit System Hits 90 Percent Redemption Rate

Cassandra Profita

February 04, 2019 |

NPR |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Oregon

Despite the overall downturn in recycling markets, Oregon recycled 90 percent of the beverage containers covered by its bottle deposit system, representing a huge jump from 64 percent the year before. Officials credit an expansion of the program to include more types of beverage containers and a doubling of the bottle deposit from 5 to 10 cents.

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With gender-smart investing, public servants can unlock trillions for women

Suzanne Biegel

January 30, 2019 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, London

Gender-based impact investing, or supporting women's economic empowerment through investing in women-owned businesses, is not only the domain of the private sector. Given the scale of government business activities, there are myriad ways the public sector can engage in "gender-smart investing," from supporting women in growth accelerators and incubators to prioritizing women-led businesses in procurement processes.

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