The program serves new markets and introduces
select multi-year grants to deepen community impact
NEW
YORK, March 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Kyndryl
Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Kyndryl, today announced that
12 nonprofit organizations from 11 countries have been awarded its
second-year grants. The program is expected to touch the lives of
more than 55,000 people over the next two years through
cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI) skills development,
awareness and job placement initiatives.
Building on the positive impact of its inaugural year, Kyndryl
Foundation is extending its philanthropic support to serve
nonprofits from five additional countries – Brazil, Canada, Costa
Rica, Spain and the
United Kingdom. Countries already
served by Kyndryl Foundation include the Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Japan,
Poland and the United States. The Foundation has also
introduced select multi-year grants – up to two years at a time –
to build deeper engagements with grantees and create longer-term,
sustainable impact.
"As the largest IT infrastructure services provider, we are
committed to addressing the critical shortage of cybersecurity and
AI professionals," said Una Pulizzi,
Kyndryl Foundation President and Kyndryl Global Head of Corporate
Affairs. "We are proud to offer second-year funding to our grantees
and look forward to the positive impact that can be achieved
through our continued and expanded work together to drive
innovation and build a new generation of skilled
professionals."
Multi-year 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 Cyber
Vaahini 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. They will train 100
women under the Cyber Vaahini program. The nonprofit will also use
the fund 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.
They 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 women, including 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.
According to the Kyndryl Readiness Report, the number one
challenge for organizations is cyberattacks. In addition, 64% of
leaders feel that their IT is not prepared for AI implementation
because of a lack of required skills and talent. Learn more about
Kyndryl Foundation's commitment to addressing the global skills
shortage in cybersecurity and AI at www.kyndryl.org.
About Kyndryl Foundation
Kyndryl Foundation is the
philanthropic arm of Kyndryl (NYSE: KD) and supports the
communities where Kyndryl does business by addressing critical
societal issues through local grant funding, volunteerism and
investments. Kyndryl Foundation aims to drive human progress by
empowering and enabling global citizens. For more information,
visit www.kyndryl.org.
About Kyndryl
Kyndryl (NYSE: KD) is the world's
largest IT infrastructure services provider serving thousands of
enterprise customers in more than 60 countries. The company
designs, builds, manages and modernizes the complex,
mission-critical information systems that the world depends on
every day. For more information, visit www.kyndryl.com.
Kyndryl Press Contact
press@kyndryl.com
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