The Social Policy Institute (SPI) at Washington University in St. Louis has received a two-year $475,000 grant from the Lumina Foundation. These funding supports a research project to understand the impact of short-term credentials on various aspects of individuals’ lives, while also exploring the transferability of non-degree credentials across employers and geographic contexts.

In doing so, this project seeks to provide novel insights for individuals, educational institutions and communities seeking to meet local labor market demands.

SPI anticipates that the project’s findings will be a vital step toward demonstrating the transformative potential of short-term credentials in improving social mobility and advancing racial equity for adults working in various sectors, including manufacturing, technology, education and health care.