Organizations worldwide are on a transformation tightrope, balancing the need to innovate and future-proof their companies.
The rapid advancements in AI have ushered in a new era of complex and sophisticated cyber threats. According to Kyndryl’s Readiness Report, 65% of executives are concerned about potential cyberattacks, yet only 30% feel ready to manage these risks. Despite these challenges, there is a silver lining. Businesses that prioritize nurturing their talent, enhancing skills and fostering a strong organizational culture report they feel more ready to manage cyber threats as they undertake their modernization journeys.
Staying ahead of bad actors requires skilled cyber professionals with various professional and life experiences. To be effective in a global environment of constant change, it is crucial to empower today’s and tomorrow’s cyber workforce to build their skills in an atmosphere of continuous learning.
We launched the Kyndryl Foundation in 2023 to help enable more people to gain the needed skills for economic advancement. In its inaugural year, the Foundation was instrumental in training over 20,000 people across seven countries in cybersecurity skills.
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The Kyndryl Foundation is committed to partnering with our grantees, who typically are established nonprofits in their countries. We learn from this collaboration and believe that our work together drives meaningful impact in our communities.
Where we go from here
This year, the Foundation is extending its support to 12 nonprofits in 11 countries, including new recipients in Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Spain and the United Kingdom, and deepening relationships with four recipients it had invested in last year. Foundation grants will positively impact more than 55,000 people over the next two years, with a focus on cybersecurity and AI skills development and career placement initiatives.
Junior Achievement (JA) Americas is among the Foundation grant recipients this year. This nonprofit and Nobel Peace Prize nominee is a frontrunner in empowering youth for employment and entrepreneurship across 26 countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
“We are steadfast in our mission to ensure that more women are skilled and empowered to participate in the tech industry, specifically in cybersecurity, and we recognize that collaboration is key to making a profound impact,” said Noël Zemborain, President of JA Americas. “We are excited to have secured a Kyndryl Foundation grant to help young women in Brazil and Costa Rica gain critical employment skills.”
The Foundation also has introduced multiyear grants of up to two years to help grantees deliver longer-term, more sustainable impact.
NPO Sodateage Net, a nonprofit that supports the economic independence of Japan’s young adults, is one of the Foundation’s multiyear grantees this year. “As recipients of Kyndryl’s inaugural grant, we were able to train an aggregate of 188 participants with an 89% completion rate in the final course. This is only an indication of how much we can achieve together in the years to come,” said Kei Kudo, Chairperson of NPO Sodateage Net. “We are hopeful that our long-term relationship with the Kyndryl Foundation will bring us closer to bridging Japan’s cybersecurity skills gap.”
Foraying into AI skilling
Another new Foundation grantee, Justice Through Code, provides education and job placement support to young people rebuilding their lives following incarceration. “To strengthen our society, we must ensure every individual can meaningfully contribute to our economy, regardless of their past. Having an active partner that shares our vision of equipping justice-impacted individuals with the skills to enter family-sustaining careers creates safer communities and lasting economic opportunity for all,” said Aedan Macdonald, Executive Director of Justice Through Code.
How Kyndryl is showing up differently
Kyndryl Foundation President Una Pulizzi believes that trust-based philanthropy is what sets us apart. Each grant inaugurates enriching and long-standing relationships in the communities we serve. As these relationships grow, Kyndryl mobilizes its executives and employees to share their industry expertise and mentor beneficiaries as they prepare for employment opportunities.
“The Kyndryl Foundation is committed to partnering with our grantees, who typically are established nonprofits in their countries,” said Pulizzi. “We learn from this collaboration and believe that our work together drives meaningful impact in our communities.”
Multiyear grantees
Single-year grantees
To learn more about our commitment to improving the world, visit the Kyndryl Foundation.
