Sego Leadership receives $2.5M grant for Utah mothers-in-workplace campaign

Overview

Updated 44 minutes ago

A Salt Lake City nonprofit just got $2.5 million to reframe how Utah values mothers at work. Sego Leadership's Motherhood Advantage project starts with a statewide survey and will test messaging before a public campaign.

The grant comes from the Workplace Innovation Now Challenge, funded by Melinda Gates' Pivotal, one of 18 awards totaling $60 million from 900 applicants. The project pairs a Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute survey with interviews and focus groups across the state. Awardees are celebrated at a New York summit October 22.

Why it matters

If it lands, the campaign could shift how Utah employers treat mothers — affecting pay, flexibility, and advancement for women statewide.

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Key Indicators

$2.5M

Grant amount to Sego Leadership

Funding for the Motherhood Advantage campaign from the Workplace Innovation Now Challenge.

18 of 900

Organizations funded from applicant pool

Sego was one of 18 selected after a 6-month evaluation of 900 applicants.

$60M

Total funding across all 18 awardees

Combined grant pool distributed by the Workplace Innovation Now Challenge.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Ever wondered what historical figures would say about today's headlines?

People Involved

Melanie Jones

CEO, Sego Leadership

Leading the Motherhood Advantage project

Clare Bresnahan English

Senior Director, Workplace Innovation Now Challenge

Managing the funding initiative

Organizations Involved

Sego Leadership

Nonprofit

Grant recipient; launched August 2026

Salt Lake City nonprofit supporting women in leadership roles.

Workplace Innovation Now Challenge

Funding Initiative

Distributed $60M across 18 organizations

Initiative supporting innovations that open opportunities for women in the workplace.

Pivotal

Social Impact Organization Group

Funder of the Workplace Innovation Now Challenge

Group of social impact organizations founded by Melinda Gates.

Timeline

August 2026 October 2026

2 events Latest: Today

October 2026
Sego Leadership receives $2.5M grant for Motherhood Advantage
Today Funding

Workplace Innovation Now Challenge names Sego one of 18 awardees from 900 applicants.
Today
August 2026
Sego Leadership launches in Salt Lake City
Launch

The nonprofit launches at The Other Side Village with CEO Melanie Jones speaking.
August 13th, 2026

Scenarios

Survey findings released, Motherhood Advantage campaign launches statewide

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: The project plan outlined by Sego Leadership and the Workplace Innovation Now Challenge

The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute completes the statewide survey, and focus groups refine messaging. Sego Leadership then launches a public awareness campaign about mothers in the Utah workplace. This is the path the grant explicitly funds and that both Jones and English have described.

Motherhood Advantage stalls or scales down

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: A risk scenario implicit in any research-led campaign

The survey takes longer than expected, messaging tests reach mixed conclusions, or leadership turnover at Sego Leadership slows momentum. The grant is spent on research but no clear public campaign emerges, or the project is quietly redirected to a smaller scope.

Employers or policymakers adopt Motherhood Advantage recommendations

Uncertain Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: The broader goal implicit in the campaign's framing

The campaign's research and messaging influence concrete change in Utah — a major employer adopts mother-friendly policies, or a state entity incorporates the findings into a workplace initiative. This would represent the grant's long-term impact beyond awareness.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

Early 2021

Marshall Plan for Moms (2021)

Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code, launched a national campaign proposing monthly stipends for mothers' unpaid care work, framed as a 'Marshall Plan for Moms.' The proposal drew wide media attention and entered the national debate on caregiving policy.

Then

The campaign put mothers' unpaid labor on the national agenda; the expanded Child Tax Credit later that year partially echoed its goals before expiring in 2022.

Now

Showed that a focused messaging campaign could shift political conversation around care work, but that lasting policy requires sustained coalition-building.

Why this matters now

Sego Leadership's Motherhood Advantage uses the same playbook — research and messaging to reframe how society values mothers — applied at the state level in Utah.

October 2003

The Opt-Out Revolution (2003)

The New York Times Magazine published Lisa Belkin's cover story suggesting highly educated women were 'opting out' of careers to raise children. The piece ignited a national debate about whether motherhood and professional ambition were compatible.

Then

The narrative dominated workplace conversations, and women reported increased scrutiny of their career choices.

Now

Later data showed the phenomenon was overstated, but the cultural narrative about mothers' work choices persisted and shaped workplace discussions for years.

Why this matters now

It shows both the power and the risk of a single narrative about mothers and work — precisely what Sego's survey-and-testing approach is designed to check.

March 2013

Lean In (2013)

Sheryl Sandberg published 'Lean In,' urging women to pursue leadership roles, sparking a nonprofit and thousands of 'Lean In Circles' at workplaces and campuses.

Then

The book became a cultural phenomenon; corporations adopted sponsorship and flexible-work programs partly in response.

Now

Shifted corporate conversations toward women's leadership and prompted policy changes, though critics argued it emphasized individual action over structural reform.

Why this matters now

Demonstrates how a well-crafted message about women in the workplace can translate into concrete employer practices — the kind of change Sego's campaign targets.