At Inaugural Moms First Summit, Capital One and Craig Newmark Philanthropies Announce Major Gifts to Expand PaidLeave.ai, Revolutionizing Access to Paid Family Leave Benefits

Transformative grants are first of their kind for AI as a public sector solution

NEW YORK, NY – May 14, 2024 – Today, at the inaugural Moms First Summit in New York City, Capital One and Craig Newmark Philanthropies announced a transformative seven-figure contribution to support the expansion of PaidLeave.ai, an innovative generative AI tool developed by Moms First. The grant is believed to be the first of its kind to fund an AI tool for social benefits. With the expansion, PaidLeave.ai aims to revolutionize access to paid family leave benefits for millions of families across the United States.

Despite the proven benefits of paid family leave in alleviating poverty and improving economic, social, and health outcomes for women and families, utilization rates of state paid leave programs remain alarmingly low. Data shows that in states with long-standing paid leave programs, only 3-5 percent of eligible workers take advantage of these benefits. This gap is attributed to a number of barriers including low awareness among eligible employees and employers, complex and confusing applications, and social stigmas.

PaidLeave.ai addresses these challenges head-on by utilizing cutting-edge generative AI technology to streamline the application process and enhance understanding of paid leave policies. Through an intuitive chatbot interface, the platform assists users in determining eligibility, estimating benefits, and navigating the application process.

Since its launch in New York in December 2023, PaidLeave.ai has garnered significant traction, with over 100,000,000 press impressions and 25,000 unique visitors in its first month alone. Moreover, the pilot generated a 25% increase in Google search traffic for paid leave, indicating high demand for new approaches to benefit accessibility and information.

Building on this success with support from Capital One and Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Moms First is expanding PaidLeave.ai in 2024 with a focus on product optimization, awareness campaigns, community partnerships, employer engagement, lobbying efforts, and impact measurement. By leveraging these strategies, Moms First aims to increase the uptake of paid leave benefits, particularly among low-income workers, and improve economic outcomes for moms, families, and communities.

“We are thrilled to support Moms First and their use of innovative technology to expand PaidLeave.ai to make paid family leave benefits more accessible to all and provide opportunities for working parents to stay in the workforce,” said Kerone Vatel, Head of Community Impact and Investing, Capital One. “This initiative builds on our longstanding commitment to advance socioeconomic mobility and close gaps in access and opportunity for low- and moderate-income individuals and communities.”

“As AI transforms everything about the way we live and work, we must ensure that we’re using AI for good and applying this technology to our toughest social challenges,” said Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist and Craig Newmark Philanthropies. “We are proud to partner with Moms First in their efforts to prove that transformative new technology can benefit all of us, not just a privileged few.”

“Moms First is a mission to win paid leave and affordable child care for as many moms in as many places as possible. And if we are going to win these fights, we need to do things differently — we need to innovate,” said Moms First Founder and CEO, Reshma Saujani. “PaidLeave.ai is a test case of how we can use innovation like generative AI to make government work better for all of us and ensure that our most vulnerable communities are benefiting from new technology.”

PaidLeave.ai was developed in collaboration with AI development firm Novy.ai and with early support and technical advice from OpenAI.

For more information, contact:

Aly Ferguson

Moms First

aly@momsfirst.com

About Moms First

Moms First is a national, nonprofit organization transforming our workplaces, communities, and culture to enable moms to thrive. Our grassroots movement of more than one million moms and supporters is dedicated to advancing women’s economic freedom, uplifting the vital work of moms in our society, and building the power to win the public and private sector investments moms need and deserve, including child care, paid leave, and equal pay. Learn more at momsfirst.us.

About Craig Newmark Philanthropies
Craig Newmark is a Web pioneer and philanthropist, best known for creating the online classified ads service craigslist. Craig’s full-time philanthropic work focuses on organizations on the frontlines of protecting America’s security and democracy. He has given more than $300 million in support of veterans and military families, trustworthy journalism and civic engagement campaigns, cyber security education programs, hunger relief, and pigeon rescue. Craig was influenced by his Sunday School teachers who escaped the Holocaust, set his moral compass, and taught him to treat people like you want to be treated – and how to know when enough is enough. He stepped away from the day-to-running of craigslist almost two decades ago, but he still occasionally volunteers as a customer service representative.

###

Childcare Benefits More Than Pay for Themselves

• New Report from Moms First and BCG Reveals that US Employers Investing in Childcare Benefits Experience Positive Returns on Investment Ranging from 90% to 425%
• Retaining as Few as 1% of Eligible Employees Can Cover the Cost of Childcare Benefits for All Who Are Eligible Within the Company
• Employer-Provided Childcare Benefits Can Help Employees Avoid More than Two Weeks of Absences Annually

WASHINGTON, DC, March 26, 2024—Just 12% of all US workers have access to childcare benefits through their employer, a figure that drops to 6% for people who work part-time or are in the lowest income quartile. However, as revealed by a landmark new report being released today by Moms First and Boston Consulting Group (BCG), titled The Employee Benefit That Pays for Itself, companies that effectively invest in childcare benefits are seeing positive returns on investment ranging from 90% to 425%.

The research behind the report includes financial analysis, personal interviews, and survey responses from nearly 1,000 US-based employees at five companies in industries including e-commerce, retail, hospitality, financial services, and supply chain management: Etsy, Fast Retailing, Steamboat Ski Resort, Synchrony, and United Parcel Service (UPS). The study covers an array of childcare benefit strategies, including onsite or near-site facilities for regular use, backup services such as last-minute or drop-in care, and stipends for parents to help pay for their own arrangements. In all five scenarios studied, returns are positive.

“The lack of quality, affordable childcare in the US is a crisis for working families, 40% of whom are in debt because of the cost of childcare. Our economy depends on care—without it, women cannot work,” said Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Moms First and a coauthor of the report. “Until now, we lacked the data that demonstrated a clear return on investment for companies that provide childcare benefits. That ends today. This report with BCG is proof that childcare benefits not only pay for themselves, but also make financial and strategic sense, creating an advantage for businesses that step up and make the investment in their employees.”

Many companies have held off offering childcare benefits, perceiving them as strictly a cost center; however, according to the report’s findings, companies that effectively invest in childcare benefits are not only seeing positive returns on investment but also finding that retaining as few as 1% of eligible employees can cover the cost of providing childcare benefits for all of those who are eligible within a company. The study also finds that childcare benefits can help individual employees avoid more than two weeks of absences annually, boosting employee productivity. Further, up to 86% of respondents said they were more likely to stay with their employer because of their childcare benefits, and as many as 78% said the peace of mind resulting from the benefits has given their careers a boost.

“Our study provides evidence that US employers adding childcare benefits to their employment packages are seeing quick and lasting rewards in recruiting, retention, and productivity. This result was consistent across a range of industries, and for both salaried and hourly employees,” said Emily Kos, a managing director and partner at BCG and a coauthor of the report. “One striking example of how the benefits pay for themselves is tied to something as basic as showing up. Parents miss far less work when they have reliable care and more options to manage childcare disruptions. That’s good for employees and for employers.”

The report can be viewed here.

Quotes from executives at four of the participating companies—Fast Retailing, Steamboat Ski Resort, Synchrony, and UPS—can be viewed here.

Media Contacts:

Moms First: Aly Ferguson—aly@gwcmpmstage.wpengine.com

BCG: Eric Passarelli—passarelli.eric@bcg.com

About Moms First

Moms First is a national, nonprofit organization transforming our workplaces, communities, and culture to enable moms to thrive. Our grassroots movement of more than one million moms and supporters is dedicated to advancing women’s economic freedom, uplifting the vital work of moms in our society, and building the power to win the public and private sector investments moms need and deserve, including childcare, paid leave, and equal pay.

About Boston Consulting Group

Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we work closely with clients to embrace a transformational approach aimed at benefiting all stakeholders—empowering organizations to grow, build sustainable competitive advantage, and drive positive societal impact.

Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives that question the status quo and spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting, technology and design, and corporate and digital ventures. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, fueled by the goal of helping our clients thrive and enabling them to make the world a better place.

###

Moms First and the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media Release New Report on the Cultural Portrayals of Motherhood on TV; Call on Entertainment Industry to “Rewrite Motherhood”

The survey, conducted by APCO Worldwide, found that the majority of moms dread returning to work after caregivFindings from the first-of-its-kind report show that while portrayals of motherhood on TV have improved historically, the realities of motherhood are often absent from television and reinforce harmful stereotypes

LOS ANGELES, CA (March 7, 2024) – Today, Moms First, a national non-profit fighting for the structural supports like paid leave, childcare, and equal pay that moms need to thrive, in partnership with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, released a groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind report that examines the cultural portrayals of motherhood in television. The report was developed with the support of Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex and The Archewell Foundation.

The report, Rewriting Motherhood: How TV Represents Moms and What We Want To See Next, examined scripted television programs from 2022 that featured mothers in the title cast. Its findings paint a nuanced landscape of motherhood with specific progress made across the industry in the depiction of more diverse moms on TV. The report also lifts up portrayals of motherhood that represent unrealistic expectations for moms in today’s society and contribute to the guilt and shame moms experience today.

The report’s topline findings include:

• TV moms have become slightly more diverse – though there is still work to be done, as Latinx (9% of TV moms), LGBTQIA+ (6%), disabled (0%), fat (2%), and older (10%) moms are all underrepresented.
• For TV families, when the narrative implied the breadwinner in a couple with kids under 18, it was the father 86.5% of the time, and it was the mother just 13.5% of the time. Thus, dads are significantly overrepresented and moms underrepresented as primary earners in TV homes.
• TV moms do not seem to have the same concerns about their physical appearance or meeting cultural beauty standards as real world moms, and the work required to reach these standards is erased on television.
• The work involved to keep a home functional and clean and the emotional load of this responsibility to do this, is largely erased on TV. Only 15% of TV parents were shown doing domestic tasks like cooking or cleaning, yet less than 10% of TV parents had a messy house.
• The realities of childcare are largely invisible on TV. Only 20% of TV parents with kids 10 and under were shown to have any childcare.
• Moms make everyday sacrifices for their kids, and regularly put their kids’ needs first, but these realities are often missing from moms’ TV depictions. Sacrifices were rarely shown, and when they were, more than half of the time it was big life-or-death choices (55% of the time) rather than the everyday issues that real moms actually encounter, such as staying up with a newborn, feeding kids’ playmates while also struggling with money, and making financial and career decisions that benefit their family more than themselves.

“We can’t win the fight for moms unless we shift our cultural expectations of motherhood — that starts with changing the way moms show up in the media we consume. Moms First is proud to partner with the Geena Davis Institute and The Archewell Foundation to call on the entertainment industry to more fully represent moms in today’s media,” said Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Moms First. “It’s time for a rewrite of motherhood so that moms finally see themselves reflected in the characters that shape our culture. We urge producers, writers, and showrunners to hire and support moms with the paid leave and child care they need so they can write authentic stories of moms that not only entertain us but also resonate with our own lives.”

The report makes clearcut recommendations for entertainment industry executives to more fully develop the characterization of motherhood in TV programming as well as invest in structural supports like child care, paid family leave, and flexible work policies that allow moms to work and thrive as employees in the industry.

“My past experience as an actress, and now today as a producer and mother, have amplified my belief in the critical importance of supporting women and moms both behind the lens and in front of it. This report about the portrayal of mothers in entertainment highlights the gaps we need to fill to achieve true representation in the content we create and consume, and I’m honored to support this work through The Archewell Foundation,” said Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, co-Founder of The Archewell Foundation.

“I was inspired to found the Geena Davis Institute 20 years ago when I realized there was a huge gender disparity in the preschool shows and animated movies aimed at kids like my toddler daughter. But representation doesn’t just matter for children – we are all impacted by how we are reflected in popular culture. Moms deserve to see authentic and validating portrayals of  motherhood on screen,” said Geena Davis, founder and chair of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.

View the full report and its recommendations.

For more information, register here to join Moms First and the Geena Davis Institute for a virtual event to discuss the report’s findings on Wednesday, March 20 at 3pm ET, 12pm PT.

About Moms First

Moms First is a national, non-profit organization transforming our workplaces, communities, and culture to enable moms to thrive. Our grassroots movement of more than one million moms and supporters is dedicated to advancing women’s economic freedom, uplifting the vital work of moms in our society, and building the power to win the public and private sector investments moms need and deserve, including child care, paid leave, and equal pay.

About the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media

Since 2004, the Institute – founded by Two-Time Academy Award Winning Actor Geena Davis – has worked to mitigate unconscious bias by creating equality, fostering inclusion and reducing negative stereotyping on screen in entertainment and media. As one of the top global research-based organizations, the Institute provides research, direct guidance and thought leadership aimed at increasing representation of marginalized groups within six identities: gender, race/ethnicity, LGBTQIA+, disability, age, and body type. Because of its unique history and position, the Institute is trusted by leaders in the entertainment industry to help achieve true onscreen equity in a way that few organizations can.

About The Archewell Foundation 

The Archewell Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Our mission is simple: show up, do good. We meet the moment by showing up, taking action and using our unparalleled spotlight to uplift and unite communities — local and global — through acts of service and compassion. We consciously partner with key organizations and leaders to identify immediate needs, build meaningful initiatives, and drive long-term change. We are committed to uncovering and resolving the root causes of issues, prioritizing lasting solutions over temporary fixes. Our work is underpinned by the core belief that mental health and our collective wellbeing are paramount.

###

Moms First New Year’s Challenge

Week One: Show Your Motherhood at Work

Moms First’s New Year’s Resolution Challenge is a free month-long program that’ll help you make your workplace ‘work out’ for moms. Sign up here and get all assignments delivered to your inbox.

Welcome to Week 1 of our New Year’s Resolution challenge to make workplaces work out better for moms!

This week, we’re calling on all the working moms out there to show their motherhood at work.

Too often, we do our best to make sure that our responsibilities as moms don’t cross over into our work life. It’s a natural response to the very rational fear that being a mom can hurt our ability to advance in our careers due to prevalent, well-documented biases.

Today, we’re challenging you to flip that notion and find a way to show your motherhood at work. The idea is simple: If we make it OK to be a mom at work, moms will do better — and our workplaces will do better by them. It’s particularly powerful when moms in leadership positions take part in modeling their roles as working parents, or when those who are not moms create the space to honor parenthood at work.

Here are just a few ideas:

• Block off your calendar for pick-up and drop-off, then share a screenshot of your calendar on social media.
• Post in your company’s Slack channel when you need to be offline for parenting obligations.
• Share a selfie of you and your kids in your car on the way home from school (if that’s where you take important calls!).
• Post a photo or video of what it looks like to work from home when child care or daycare isn’t an option.

You can take it a step further by also sharing your action on social media, and be sure to tag @MomsFirstUS & @AdeccoGroupUSFoundation_ so we can amplify with our community of moms across the U.S.

If you haven’t already signed up for our New Year’s Resolution campaign, it’s not too late! Just head to the link in our bio to start receiving our weekly resources and actions to make the workplace finally work (out) for moms in 2024.

Moms First and The Adecco Group US Foundation Release New Survey Data on Moms in the Workplace; Launch New Year’s Resolution Campaign to “Make Your Workplace Work Out for Moms”

The survey, conducted by APCO Worldwide, found that the majority of moms dread returning to work after caregiving leave and one in three moms considered leaving the workforce entirely

NEW YORK, NY (January 3, 2024) – Today, Moms First, a national non-profit fighting for the structural support moms need to thrive, and The Adecco Group US Foundation released new survey data that explores the barriers moms face when they return to work after caregiving.

Moms First worked with APCO Worldwide to survey 1,000 moms in July of 2023 to better understand the challenges moms face when they become pregnant, return to work, and then balance work and caretaking for young children under the age of 5. Key findings from the survey, sponsored by The Adecco Group US Foundation, include:

• 64% of moms dread returning to work after a period of caregiving
• One in three moms consider leaving the workforce entirely after caregiving
• 76% of moms say their company could be doing more to support parents of young children

“The message from moms is clear: workplaces need to change for women, rather than expecting women to change for workplaces,” said Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Moms First. “It’s not surprising that the overwhelming majority of moms dread returning to work after caregiving — what is surprising is that employers are still not doing enough to step up and fix it. Investing in moms is an economic imperative. Employers have the opportunity to change this, and when they do, they will be rewarded with loyalty from top talent: moms.”

In response to the survey results, Moms First kicked off a New Year’s Resolution campaign, supported by The Adecco Group US Foundation, to “Make Your Workplace Work Out for Moms.” Every January 1st, we make New Year’s Resolutions to work out more. This year, Moms First is encouraging moms to sign on to a New Year’s Resolution to make workplaces work out for moms and parents of young children and better support them at work. Throughout the month of January, the campaign offers resources for moms to go to their employers and advocate for better support, and for moms in positions of power, it provides them with a playbook to put bold change into action.

“If we want to retain moms in the workforce, we as employers need to start by understanding what support they need to thrive,” said Joyce Russell, President of The Adecco Group US Foundation. “The Adecco Group US Foundation is proud to partner with Moms First and create a playbook on how to foster a positive and inclusive work culture.”

View the full results of the APCO Worldwide survey here. And learn more about the New Year’s Resolution campaign here.

About Moms First

Moms First is a national, non-profit organization transforming our workplaces, communities, and culture to enable moms to thrive. Our grassroots movement of more than one million moms and supporters is dedicated to advancing women’s economic freedom, uplifting the vital work of moms in our society, and building the power to win the public and private sector investments moms need and deserve, including child care, paid leave, and equal pay.

###