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
Czechitas (Czech Republic) provides training programs for two tech career paths: Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst and Information Security Specialist. The nonprofit will train 100 women in cybersecurity, run cyber awareness initiatives for 50,000 women and educate government officials on cyber resiliency.
Data Security Council of India (DSCI) will offer two programs. DSCI launched the CyberVaahini program with an inaugural Kyndryl Foundation grant to provide cybersecurity training to women in tier two and three cities and help them find job opportunities. It will train 100 women under the CyberVaahini program. The nonprofit will also use the funds to establish a state-of-the-art cybersecurity training center in Mumbai.
Girl Security (US) will grow its Workforce Training Program, designed to prepare individuals from low-income communities for cybersecurity pathways. The nonprofit aims to create a pipeline of more than 1,000 prepared participants planning to enter the technology sector by 2026.
NPO Sodateage Net (Japan) enables youth empowerment and economic independence through various employment support programs, awareness activities, career guidance sessions and family support. The nonprofit will provide a cybersecurity skilling program to nearly 1,500 young people and help them with internship and job placement.
Single-year grantees
CLACK (Japan) will offer its “Be Pro Cybersecurity” course for 100 students from economically disadvantaged families in Tokyo and Osaka. The two-day skilling program trains students on the basics of cybersecurity and helps them expand their career choices.
Fundación Cibervoluntarios (Spain) runs a one-year cybersecurity skilling course. The nonprofit will extend this course to 5,000 young people from underserved communities and depopulated areas.
Generation: You Employed (UK) will organize train-and-place boot camps for 230 people facing barriers toward careers in IT and cybersecurity.
Junior Achievement (JA) Americas (Brazil and Costa Rica) runs the “She is Digital” program focused on training and employability in the knowledge economy, specifically in cybersecurity. The nonprofit will deliver cybersecurity and career skills training to 400 women from Brazil and Costa Rica and support them in finding jobs.
Joint Economic and Development Initiative (JEDI) (Canada) aims to empower Indigenous communities through digital literacy and IT training, bridging the gap in rural, underrepresented communities. It will support approximately 50 Indigenous students from New Brunswick.
Justice Through Code (JTC) (US) runs “The Flagship,” a 10-month software engineering and professional development program for formerly-incarcerated talent. The nonprofit will train 125 people under The Flagship program, developing AI skills and supporting them with job placement.
Mamo Pracuj Foundation (Poland) organizes “The Cyber Women Leaders” program that enables refugees and migrants to return to the workforce after a career break. The nonprofit will support 40 women with cybersecurity training, career consultation, soft skills sessions and job search guidance.
United Way Hungary offers a modular training program on cybersecurity – “The United for CyberSafe Youth” – for secondary school students and young adults, with a focus on underserved communities and people with visual disabilities. The nonprofit will train 345 people under this program and help them with career development.
