Mission
Springboard Forward is on a mission to transform the lives of entry-wage workers and the workplaces around them.

Vision
We envision a world where EVERYONE has the opportunity to identify and realize their career aspirations.

Model
Springboard Forward has developed a fundamentally new model called Engaged Employment, which inspires people to develop a long-term vision for career mobility that starts with engaging in the job they have today and using that job as a springboard for improving their economic future.

Breaking the cycle of low-wage jobs through the workplace
In 2002 Elliott Brown established Springboard Forward with a vision of social change that aligns low-wage earners and businesses in an unprecedented way. Unlike traditional solutions to helping people who are "stuck" in a cycle of low-wage jobs, Springboard Forward’s business-based approach combines powerful career development for workers with a value proposition for businesses that compels employers to invest in the lower-wage workforce. This model, called Engaged Employment™, advances workers’ careers while addressing chronic business challenges of low retention, poor employee performance, and unsatisfactory customer service. Springboard Forward’s approach creates bottom-line incentives for businesses to play a critical role in changing the landscape for workers in low-wage jobs.

Awards and recognition. Springboard Forward was awarded the Social Capitalist award by Fast Company/Monitor Group in 2005 and 2007. We were also featured in the Fast Company Magazine as one of the "Top 25 Changemakers in the United States" and recently cited on the front page of the L.A. Times business section. Elliott was elected to the prestigious group of Ashoka Fellows in 2005 for his innovative work in changing the way poverty is being addressed in the United States. Ashoka recognizes social entrepreneurs worldwide who offer innovative solutions to social problems that have the potential to change patterns across society.