WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bipartisan nonprofit organization named RAISE US has launched with over $500 million to implement new education and training programs. The initiative aims to help American workers adapt to new careers in an economy increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. Programs will initially operate in Arkansas, Maryland, Utah, and Connecticut.

Former U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and former Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb founded RAISE US. Raimondo, a Democrat who previously served as the U.S. Commerce Secretary in the Biden administration and as the Democratic governor of Rhode Island, will serve as the organization's CEO. Holcomb is a Republican.

RAISE US focuses on collaborations with states and major employers rather than the federal government. The organization intends to develop policies that more closely link schools with employers. It is also exploring adjustments to corporate taxes and other incentives, with the goal of maintaining employment.

Anchor partners for RAISE US include Amazon, Microsoft, Anthropic, the OpenAI Foundation, and Bank of America. Additional employers involved in the project are UPS, General Motors, Eli Lilly, Mastercard, AMD, Cisco, and IBM. The advisory board for RAISE US includes former Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, billionaire investment manager Stephen Schwarzman, and AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, as well as economists David Autor, Erik Brynjolfsson, and Raj Chetty.

Raimondo stated that the nonprofit desires to utilize states as a testing ground for concepts that Congress may later adopt as policies. "I don't have a lot of hope for bold action by Congress in the next few years on this issue, and I don't think we can wait a few years," Raimondo said. She added, "I feel pretty confident that they will look at the work that we've done." Holcomb also commented on the initiative, stating, "Good things tend to happen when you convert have-nots into haves."

Estimates suggest a notable impact of AI on the workforce. A Boston Consulting Group analysis in April 2026 projected that about half of U.S. jobs would be reshaped by AI in the coming years. This analysis also indicated that up to 25 million jobs could be eliminated in the U.S. over the next five years. Separately, Goldman Sachs released an estimate in March 2026, suggesting that a quarter of U.S. work hours could be automated by artificial intelligence.