www,gwcollective.org
GOOD WORK
COLLECTIVE
Where Good Work Changes Lives
OUR MISSION
The Good Work Collective is a trauma-informed workforce development initiative providing paid work experience, job and life skills training, and wraparound support for our neighbors impacted by the foster care system.
We create spaces where talent is cultivated,
dignity is restored, and purpose-driven work
leads to lasting change.
Why We Do
What We Do
DID YOU KNOW?
Nearly 1 in 4 young people who age out of foster care experience homelessness within 12 months.
Over 40% of young adults exiting foster care will be incarcerated by age 26.
It's not a lack of talent. It's a lack of access.
Every year, young adults age out of foster care into a world with no safety net—expected to “make it” without the support most of us take for granted.
The barriers they face are more complex than past choices or circumstances—they’re the result of under-resourced systems, generational trauma,
and deeply rooted inequities.
At Good Work Collective
we’re not asking for sympathy - or a handout.
We’re building solutions.
SIGNATURE PROGRAM
OUR FLAGSHIP PROGRAM SERVING
YOUTH AGING OUT OF FOSTER CARE
Foster to Fly
Take Off. Stand Tall. Stay Fly.
Support for the Journey Ahead.
PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
JOIN THE MOVEMENT
SPONSORSHIPS
Want to Change the System? Fund the Disruptors.
We don’t believe in sponsorship as a transaction. We believe in shared power. When you invest here, you know exactly who and what you’re supporting—because you’ll meet them.
This isn’t philanthropy-as-usual.
It’s personal.
Radically transparent.
And unforgettable.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Where Local Partnerships Spark Big Change.
The best kind of impact happens when we do it together. Whether you’re a nonprofit, business, school, church, or grassroots group, there’s a place for you in the Collective. Explore how we can align our missions, pool our resources, and change the future—together.
DONORS
Be the Reason Someone Gets a Second Chance.
Behind every donation is a story waiting to change. Your support helps justice-impacted individuals and young adults aging out of foster care access job training, wraparound services, and a community that believes in them. You’re not just giving money—you’re giving someone the chance to be seen, supported, and equipped to succeed.
OUR TEAM
MEET THE TEAM BEHIND THE MISSION
Lissa Bowen
Founder, The Good Work Collective
Lissa Bowen is the founder of The Good Work Collective, a workforce initiative creating paid career pathways for young people aging out of foster care. She brings more than three decades of experience in operations, hiring, and leadership development across hospitality and other fast-paced, customer-facing industries, where she has built teams, strengthened workplace culture, and designed systems that connect people to meaningful work.
Throughout her career in the restaurant industry, Lissa saw firsthand how structured, steady employment can stabilize lives and open doors. Hospitality has long been a landing place for people from all backgrounds—and workplace culture determine whether someone thrives or cycles through jobs without traction.
Lissa’s work is deeply informed by her proximity to the foster care community. She is a former Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), a foster parent, and a foster-adoptive parent. Through those experiences, she witnessed both the resilience young people impacted by foster care carry and the structural gaps that make stable employment difficult to access. She believes that good work—work that is structured, paid, and connected to growth—can fundamentally change outcomes.
Through Foster to Fly and The Good Work Collective, Lissa is building a scalable model that aligns workforce demand with opportunity youth while equipping employers with trauma-informed leadership tools. Her work is grounded in a simple conviction: when workplaces are intentional and young people are paid and supported, good work changes lives.
The Good Work Collective is fiscally sponsored by IGNITE! Central, a nonprofit committed to building inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems. Through this partnership, IGNITE provides administrative oversight and strategic support, helping ensure our programs are built on a strong operational foundation.
MEDIA
Stirring Up Good Trouble.
Backed by Good Work.
Welcome to the hub where bold ideas, community transformation, and unapologetic advocacy collide. Follow us on social to stay in the loop, share the movement, and help us stir up some good trouble in the name of equity and opportunity. For media inquiries, interviews, speaking requests, or to feature Good Work Collective in your coverage—this is the place.
Let’s amplify stories that matter.
Good Work Collective
IGNITE! Central Fiscal Sponsor
Hamilton, Ohio