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Kyndryl Foundation grantees drive global opportunities

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Through its global support of nonprofit organizations committed to providing advancement opportunities to communities and individuals, Kyndryl Foundation reinforces Kyndryl’s values of human progress and innovation. Kyndryl Foundation commits to supporting these values long-term. We identify and energize the like-minded entities that know their communities best, and have developed effective grassroots campaigns focused on skills development, job placement, and providing pathways to advancement and belonging.

As a people-centered services firm, among Kyndryl’s first orders of business was to establish a philanthropic foundation. Now in its third year, Kyndryl Foundation’s growth and global impact mirror the company’s commitment to shared values through innovation and growth. The third-year grant program supports 14 nonprofit organizations in 13 countries — each committed to providing meaningful opportunities for personal and community advancement.

A group of diverse individuals engages in a productive business meeting, brainstorming ideas in a modern, sunlit office space filled with natural light and greenery.

Kyndryl Foundation expands global cybersecurity and AI skills grants

At Kyndryl Foundation, we believe meaningful impact starts with trust and is sustained through long‑term commitment. Our grant program is designed not as a one‑time transaction, but as a partnership — one where we listen, learn and work alongside our nonprofit partners over time. By investing in relationships, we enable organizations closest to their communities to lead lasting change.

Una Pulizzi

Kyndryl Foundation President and Kyndryl Global Head of Corporate Affairs

Fulfilling a dream

When Ankita Dey left her family’s farm in a small village in India to pursue a computer science degree, she was taking the first steps toward a new life. After she graduated, she saw a webinar for Cyber Vaahini. “Since then, there has been no turning back,” Dey says.

The Data Security Council of India joined forces with Kyndryl Foundation in 2024 to launch Cyber Vaahini, a four-month interactive training program for engineering graduates. In its first year, Cyber Vaahini provided 135 individuals who might not have otherwise had these opportunities with security skilling, access to leading industry partners, and placement opportunities.

“Cyber Vaahini helped me with a wealth of knowledge, giving me vision and direction to pursue. The program unlocked a world of cyber resources for me,” Ankita says. “This opportunity also gives me hope that I can repay the educational loan my family took to support my academic journey. I aspire to stay sincere towards work and reap the rewards that follow.”

Starting from scratch, Katarína Pořízková is one of more than 76,000 people Czechitas has helped train for jobs in IT, cybersecurity, and AI over the last decade. Following maternity leave from being an animal trainer at a zoo, the mother of three decided to pursue a career change to provide her family with a better livelihood. She started from scratch with an Introduction to Cybersecurity course offered by long-time Kyndryl Foundation partner Czechitas — a non-profit organization dedicated to providing IT skills and job preparation/placement assistance. Katarína then tackled Czechitas’ intensive, three-month Digital Academy curriculum.

“I realized that technology isn’t just for the chosen few,” Katarína says. “All it takes is the willingness to learn and a supportive environment. And that’s what I found at Czechitas.”​

Kyndryl Foundation | 2026 grantees

Article 1
Article 1

Article 1

Article 1 (France) supports youth employability by integrating STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). The Kyndryl Foundation grant will help Article 1 incorporate AI-powered tools into its mentoring platform and expand AI-literacy training for 4,000 students. It will also deliver national and regional AI workshops and events for 200 participants, train 120 mentors, and provide enhanced mentoring.

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CLACK
CLACK

CLACK

CLACK (Japan) will offer its “Be Pro Cybersecurity” course for 700 students from economically disadvantaged families in Tokyo and Osaka. The two-day skilling program and foundational sessions train students on the basics of cybersecurity and help them expand their career choices.

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Czechitas
Czechitas

Czechitas

Czechitas (Czechia) provides training programs for two tech career paths – Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst and Information Security Specialist. The nonprofit will certify 110 individuals in cybersecurity tracks, train 1,000 in cybersecurity courses and reach 50,000 through awareness and online programming.

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Data Security Council of India
Data Security Council of India

Data Security Council of India (DSCI)

Data Security Council of India (DSCI) will continue to train 50 individuals under its flagship Cyber Vaahini program, launched with a Kyndryl Foundation grant in 2024. The nonprofit will also establish a new training center in Delhi to provide industry-standard skills, hands-on experience and employment support under expert mentorship.

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Fair Chance Futures
Fair Chance Futures

Fair Chance Futures

(formerly Justice Through Code (JTC))

Fair Chance Futures (US), a Columbia University initiative, will expand its AI workforce pathways program to other universities – helping deliver AI capstone solutions, serving 1,000 fellows across program tracks, and supporting them with job placement through Fair Chance Futures’ “Just Hire One” program.

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Fundacion Cibervoluntarios
Fundacion Cibervoluntarios

Fundación Cibervoluntarios

Fundación Cibervoluntarios (Spain) runs the #RetoHacker cybersecurity skilling course. Over two years, the program will train 10,000 young people in cybersecurity and ethical hacking through 400 practical training sessions. Additionally, the organization aims to reach 300,000 students and community members through its cybersecurity awareness campaign.

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Generation UK
Generation UK

Generation UK

Generation: You Employed (UK) will deliver train-and-place boot camps supporting 400 people over two years who face barriers to employment toward life-changing careers in tech and cybersecurity.

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Girl Security
Girl Security

Girl Security

Girl Security (US) will create a talent development pathway supporting more than 1,200 participants prepared for cybersecurity and AI careers by 2027 through expanded security clinics, a growing mentor network, and All Secure – its user-centered platform for AI learning and critical thinking. Girl Security also aims to reach 50,000 educators and students, extending its impact into classrooms and communities.

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JEDI
JEDI

Joint Economic and Development Initiative (JEDI)

Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI) (Canada) supports economic growth across New Brunswick’s 16 Indigenous communities by delivering advanced IT training programs in urban and rural regions. They will support 60 Indigenous students with IT and cybersecurity training, and subsets of participants will gain access to externally administered internships, full-time employment, cybersecurity competitions, and industry conferences.

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Junior Achievement Americas
Junior Achievement Americas

Junior Achievement Americas (JA Americas)

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 720 individuals from Brazil and Costa Rica and support them in finding jobs.

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Laboratoria
Laboratoria

Laboratoria

Laboratoria (Mexico – new market) expands access to technology education and workforce pathways to advance economic participation in Latin America’s digital economy. The nonprofit will train 200 under- and unemployed individuals pursuing careers in digital and technology fields with foundational cybersecurity and job-readiness skills.

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NPO Sodateage Net
NPO Sodateage Net

NPO Sodateage Net

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 and share long-term recommendations with government and corporations to scale cybersecurity talent development.

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Mamo Pracuj
Mamo Pracuj

The Mamo Pracuj Foundation (Mamo Pracuj)

Mamo Pracuj Foundation (Poland) organizes “The Cyber Women Pro,” a program that enables individuals, including refugees and migrants, to return to the workforce after a career break. The nonprofit will certify 400 individuals in a cybersecurity-basics course and support 50 in earning CompTIA Security+ certifications, while offering awareness activities, webinars and advanced training to thousands more across two years.

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United Way Hungary
United Way Hungary

United Way Hungary (UWH)

United Way Hungary offers a modular training program on cybersecurity – “The United for CyberSafe Youth” – for secondary school students and young adults. The nonprofit will update and expand program modules – including AI and career guidance – to reach an additional 1,500 students in classrooms and 2,000 via e-learning. It will also train educators to teach the training program and further their career development.

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A second chance

Second chances can be hard to come by in traditional societies. Japan’s Sodateage Net offers new beginnings for unemployed and isolated youth by helping them find employment and re-engage with society. As a hikikomori, a socially withdrawn young person, Yuichi Tanaka had fallen through the cracks. But through working with Sodateage Net — a third-year Kyndryl Foundation partner — Yuichi now has a steady job at an IT company.

“Through the Youth Drive for Cybersecurity program, I gained foundational knowledge and experience working with others,” Yuichi says. “The teamwork experience supports my learning to interact more effectively at work, as my colleagues and I bring new perspectives to managing everyday security risks,” he says. “And having responsibility and earning income has given me confidence and a sense of self-worth.”

Exploring a new world

As a resident of New Brunswick, Canada, Robert Paul grew up hunting, fishing and foraging with his father. But after high school, Robert discovered an interest in computer programming and its potential to provide him with a meaningful career. So he enrolled in a computer skills training program run by the Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI)  — a Kyndryl Foundation partner since 2024.

JEDI has supported economic development for the Mi'kmaq, Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) and Peskotomuhkati (Passamaquoddy) people in New Brunswick for more than 30 years. “I really loved learning Python,” Robert says. And after a year of intensive skills training, plus a four-month paid internship, he was ready to join the workforce. “I wasn’t used to a corporate environment,” Robert says. “But the JEDI internship helped me adjust.”

Robert is nearing the completion of his first year at a leading Canadian bank, where he works alongside another JEDI graduate who’s been with the bank since 2023.

Learn more about Kyndryl Foundation and its grantee partners in the Kyndryl Foundation Annual Impact Summary.