The Benz Foundation’s Economic Advancement for Overlooked Americans Initiative
Born from a Belief in Second Chances. Built for a Broader Workforce.
The Benz Foundation’s original Second Chance Employment Initiative began with a simple belief: People who have served their time deserve a fair opportunity to work.
That belief remains.
Today, the work has expanded.
We now focus on overlooked and underestimated talent - including justice-impacted individuals, veterans transitioning to civilian life, long-term caregivers reentering the workforce, and young people seeking their first job.
Talent doesn’t disappear, but access often does.
The Workforce Is Larger Than Traditional Hiring Recognizes.
Over 70 million Americans have a criminal record.
1 in 5 U.S. workers are STARs - Skilled Through Alternative Routes (no four-year degree).
Millions of caregivers reenter the workforce each year after extended employment gaps.
Nearly 200,000 service members transition out of the military annually.
Young adults entering the workforce face record credential inflation and automated screening barriers.
The challenge is not a lack of talent. It’s a system that filters differently lived experience out.
The Data Points to Structural Friction.
Employers report talent shortages across industries, yet millions remain underutilized.
Roughly half of unemployed men in the U.S. have a criminal record.
Candidates without bachelor’s degrees are frequently screened out despite demonstrated skills.
Automated hiring systems disproportionately filter applicants with employment gaps or nontraditional backgrounds.
We are not facing a talent crisis. We are facing a translation and access crisis.
Helmed by a National Workforce Systems Builder
Genevieve Martin
Genevieve Martin has spent 15+ years building employer coalitions, second chance employment movements, and national workforce infrastructure.
This initiative builds on that foundation - expanding from second chance employment into a broader effort to modernize how overlooked talent is recognized and connected to work.
Genevieve is also known for other initiative such as:
Presenting Talent Nova
A technology platform, powered by AI, built to translate nontraditional experience into employer-recognized skills - reducing hiring friction and increasing access to work.
What Talent Nova Does Now
Skills Translation Engine
Transforms lived experience, caregiving, military service, or justice involvement into employer-ready language.
Readiness Kits
Structured guidance that helps users articulate their value clearly and confidently.
*Additional readiness scenarios launching 2026.*
Resume & Cover Letter Generation
Professional, ATS-aligned documents in minutes.
Intelligent Job Matching
Matches users to roles they are ready for now - based on demonstrated skills.
TODAY
85,000+
Users
13,000+
Resumes & coverletters
2,000+
Jobs applied to
2x 2025
Anthem Award Winner
(Best use of AI & Responsible Technology)
Why This Matters Now
The future of work is shifting.
Degree inflation, automated hiring filters, and labor market fragmentation have created structural barriers for millions of capable individuals.
This initiative focuses on:
Expanding workforce access
Improving skills visibility
Reducing hiring friction
Demonstrating measurable pathways into employment
We believe opportunity should not be determined by résumé formatting, employment gaps, or outdated screening systems.
We invite partners and funders to join us in expanding workforce access for overlooked talent.
Together, we can modernize how skill is recognized - and who gets seen.
Data Citations & Context
Over 70 million Americans have a criminal record.
An estimated 70–100 million Americans — roughly 1 in 3 adults — have some type of criminal record.
(Shannon et al., Demography; Bureau of Justice Statistics; The Sentencing Project)
1 in 5 U.S. workers are STARs - Skilled Through Alternative Routes.
More than 70 million U.S. workers — about half the workforce — are Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs), meaning they do not hold a four-year degree.
(Opportunity@Work; Harvard Business School Project on Managing the Future of Work)
Millions of caregivers reenter the workforce each year.
Approximately 1 in 5 U.S. adults provide unpaid caregiving, and many experience workforce interruptions as a result.
(National Alliance for Caregiving & AARP, 2020)
Millions of workers reenter the labor force each year after employment gaps.
(U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Labor Force Flows)
Nearly 200,000 service members transition annually.
Approximately 200,000 service members transition from active duty to civilian life each year.
(U.S. Department of Defense)
Credential Inflation & Automated Screening Barriers
Research from Harvard Business School and the Burning Glass Institute found that employers routinely require bachelor’s degrees for roles that previously did not require them — a practice known as “degree inflation.”
(HBS & Burning Glass Institute, Dismissed by Degrees, 2017)
Automated hiring systems have been shown to disproportionately filter out candidates with employment gaps or nontraditional backgrounds.
(Brookings Institution; MIT Sloan; Harvard Business Review)
Employers report talent shortages across industries, yet millions remain underutilized.
Employers across industries report persistent talent shortages despite high numbers of workers who remain underutilized.
(U.S. Chamber of Commerce; ManpowerGroup Global Talent Shortage Survey)
Roughly half of unemployed men in the U.S. have a criminal record.
A 2022 RAND Corporation study estimates that nearly half of unemployed men have a criminal record.
Candidates without bachelor’s degrees are frequently screened out despite demonstrated skills.
Research from Harvard Business School and the Burning Glass Institute found that employers routinely require four-year degrees for roles where incumbents already perform successfully without them.
(HBS & Burning Glass Institute, Dismissed by Degrees)
Automated hiring systems disproportionately filter applicants with employment gaps or nontraditional backgrounds.
Studies have shown that automated hiring systems can replicate or amplify existing labor market biases, disproportionately impacting candidates with nontraditional career paths or employment gaps.
(Brookings Institution; MIT Sloan; Upturn)