Individuals participate in a Sept. 13 event put on by wellfed, a social impact startup to help former federal employees. Rebecca Ferguson-Ondrey
Support networks grow for workers impacted by Trump’s federal job cuts
Most of the resources for former federal employees are free.
Several organizations have sprung up since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term to help civil servants who have lost their jobs. The Office of Personnel Management has reported that the federal workforce is set to have 300,000 fewer employees by the end of the year.
Some initiates have launched recently, while other programs that were founded soon after federal layoffs began in the winter have expanded their offerings. Many of the organizations are focused not just on helping former feds find a new job but also providing community support.
Work for America, a nonprofit that helps state and local governments recruit and retain staff, in November 2024 set up this platform that is free for federal employees, government contractors and campaign staffers to connect with state and local hiring managers.
Sophie McGrath, the organization’s communications coordinator, told Government Executive that more than 100 former feds have found new roles through Civic Match. As an example, she cited Marc Shaw, who is the interim city auditor for his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, after 25 years at the State Department.
McGrath said over email that Civic Match helped Shaw “translate” how his experience overseeing arms control treaty compliance and billions in international program funding was applicable to the local role.
The nonprofit also reported that more than 1,400 job seekers and about roughly 170 hiring managers have attended Civic Match Live, which is a monthly virtual event to directly connect job candidates with state and local hiring managers.
A group of former civil servants in February created this nonprofit to help ex-feds navigate the private sector job search.
On Sept. 8, the organization launched several free artificial intelligence-powered tools that can help a user with matters like explaining how skills they acquired in government can be valuable to a company and identifying types of non-governmental jobs they might be interested in pursuing.
“Existing career transition tools treat all professionals the same — generic resume templates and broad skills assessments,” said co-founder Karen Lee during an Aug. 28 sneak peek of the tools. “Federal professionals have distinct professional personas. We tend to underemphasize our leadership achievements. We focus oftentimes on process over outcomes because that is so important for the functioning of our government. And we prioritize mission impact over financial metrics.”
The platform also offers AI coaches with different communication styles. Users get to pick which technologically created coach they want to help them through job transition steps like how to take care of finances, do research on potential employers and create professional branding on websites like LinkedIn.
Brian Levine, a former federal prosecutor, in April established Former Gov — a website that serves as a directory of former federal, state and local government workers. While individuals do have to pay to be listed in it, Levine is offering a free year of membership to feds who were laid off, accepted a voluntary separation incentive or were otherwise impacted.
Levine told Government Executive that dozens of former federal employees reach out daily to the website’s LinkedIn for the free membership.
The digital site has also started offering members a weekly coworking space, a virtual clubhouse “to meet, chat, network, commiserate and share ideas” as well as a webinar series to help former civil servants who want to start their own businesses.
Mobilize Montgomery Federal Workforce Career Center
Maryland’s Montgomery County plans to open this hub in the fall to assist displaced federal workers and contractors.
Some of the services that the center will offer include executive coaching, resume assistance and recruitment opportunities, according to a press release.
The county reports that it is home to more than 70,000 federal employees and that, during the first six months of 2025, more than 4,000 residents lost their jobs due to government workforce cuts.
This organization connects volunteers with professional backgrounds to help nonprofits in areas like marketing, human resources and technology. CEO Cat Ward said the team has started to notice recently that more individuals who have worked for the government are looking for opportunities through the platform.
She argued that volunteering is an ideal activity while job searching, particularly for former federal employees.
“What we offer these talented, purposeful, passionate, highly skilled individuals is an opportunity to put your purpose to work, to stay engaged, to build your network, to flex your skills, maybe into spaces that you weren't working for,” she said in an interview with Government Executive.
As a Washington, D.C., resident and a former government employee herself, Ward said that she is personally invested in helping ex-civil servants “make connections at a time where people are feeling disconnected.”
“People come to government because they care [and] because they want to do something great in the world. This gives them an immediate outlet during a time that they feel really hard,” she said. “The job search is a hard moment, and this job search moment is particularly hard.”
After losing their Health and Human Services Department jobs in February, Rebecca Ferguson-Ondrey and Drew Tye Ruby-Howe created this social impact startup to help former federal employees.
"In the midst of tumult, wellfed repurposed ourselves and reclaimed our mission — to support workforce development, create space for people to grieve the loss of their former careers and identities and guide them toward their next right step," Ferguson-Ondrey said in a statement to Government Executive.
She also shared that wellfed has grown its membership from 20 to nearly 2,000 and has put on more than 62 virtual sessions focused on subjects like mental health, personal finance and resume crafting. Additionally, more than 250 people have attended in-person organization gatherings across the Washington, D.C., area.
Wellfed is partnering with the office of Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., for an event in Falls Church on Saturday titled “Financial Resilience in Times of Uncertainty.”
You Are Not Alone
The American Federation of Government Employees union and nonprofits Democracy Forward and Partnership for Public Service in August launched this project to provide assistance to federal employees who lost their jobs due to reductions in force. The organizations first piloted the program for the State Department, which laid off around 1,350 workers in July.
According to a press release, the initiative provides resources on mental health and wellness, job search and career as well as employee legal rights during RIFs.
“Federal employees facing job losses need support now more than ever,” said Jenny Mattingley, vice president of government affairs at the Partnership, in a statement. “It’s important that federal employees have trusted places to go for accurate, plain language resources to help them navigate this time of stress and uncertainty.”
The Partnership also has compiled additional resources for former feds.