about us
Care, made right.
The CareWorks Project is an advisory and innovation studio helping leaders reimagine care in today’s economy.
We partner across sectors to strengthen long-term care systems so people can live with dignity, workers can thrive, and communities can rely on care that works. A future that honors the people who give and receive care is within reach.
Founded in 2026 by nationally recognized care economy and workforce strategist Robert Espinoza, The CareWorks Project was created in response to a simple reality: many of the policis, assumptions, and institutional models shaping the long-term care ecosystem today were built for a different era. As demographics, work, and family life change rapidly, the systems meant to support caregiving must evolve as well.
In close coloration with leading institutions, we design practical, system-level solutions that strengthen the direct care workforce, modernize long-term care, and elevate caregiving from a hidden side issue in the economy into essential infrastructure for an ever-evolving nation.
Why We Exist
The long-term care system isn’t keeping up with human need. Families, workers, and communities are left to navigate fragmented systems and deep inequities. The CareWorks Project works to close this Caregiving Divide™—helping care systems work better, together. Read more.
“Robert Espinoza is a nationally recognized expert in long-term care, with a special expertise in the direct-care workforce. He is a passionate and data driven advocate for improving the lives of older adults and younger people with disabilities and those who care for them.”
— Howard Gleckman, Nonresident Fellow at the Urban Institute, a leading policy research institution examining aging, retirement security, and the future of the social safety net
Our VisionWe envision a future where long-term care systems are designed around real human lives.
In this future, older adults and people with disabilities have meaningful choices and the supports they need to live where and how they prefer. Direct care workers hold dignified jobs with fair pay, training, and opportunities to grow. Family caregivers are recognized and supported, no longer forced to carry the burden of care alone.
Communities are stronger because investments in care are understood as investments in people. Public and private sectors work in alignment, care is treated as shared infrastructure rather than a private problem, and innovation moves in step with empathy—producing solutions that are as practical as they are humane.
“Robert Espinoza has long understood that strengthening the direct care workforce requires more than better jobs—it requires building worker power, investing in wraparound supports, and engaging philanthropy and other partners to drive systemic change.”
— Pronita Gupta, Former Special Assistant to The President for Labor and Workers at the Domestic Policy Council at The White House
"Robert Espinoza stands out as a leading voice in policy and service innovation for the direct support workforce and the broader care economy. He skillfully translates research into practical policy and action, consistently centering caregivers and paid workers. His unwavering commitment to livable wages, accessible benefits, and dignity for this workforce defines his leadership."
— Amy Hewitt, PhD, FAAIDD, Institute on Community Integration, The University of Minnesota
Meet the Founder
Robert Espinoza is a nationally recognized workforce and care economy strategist and CEO of The CareWorks Project, partnering with leaders to redesign long-term care systems so people live with dignity, workers thrive, and communities prosper.