Kyndryl Foundation announced that 12 non-profit organisations 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 non-profits 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.
The Data Security Council of India (DSCI) is one of the first multi-year grantees and will offer two programs. DSCI launched the Cyber Vaahini program in 2024 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 non-profit will also use the fund to establish a state-of-the-art cybersecurity training centre in Mumbai.
“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.”
“India is becoming a hub for security products and services, thanks to its rich talent pool, inherent capability in serving global markets, and the rapidly accelerating pace of innovation in the cybersecurity startup ecosystem. The Data Security Council of India is coming up with a pioneering Cybersecurity Skilling Centre to give further impetus to bridge the talent gap in cybersecurity. We are thankful to the continued support from Kyndryl Foundation for this novel initiative and the Cyber Vaahini skilling program to achieve sustainable development goals in the process of building the cybersecurity industry,” said Vinayak Godse, CEO, DSCI
Other multi-year grantees
- Czechitas (Czech Republic) provides training programs for two tech career paths – Security Operations Centre (SOC) Analyst and Information Security Specialist. The non-profit will train 100 women in cybersecurity, run cyber awareness initiatives for 50,000 women and educate government officials on cyber resiliency.
- Girl Security (US) will grow its Workforce Training Program – designed to prepare individuals from low-income communities for cybersecurity pathways. The non-profit 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 non-profit 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 non-profit will extend this course to 5,000 young people from underserved communities and depopulated areas.
- Generation: You Employed (UK) will organise 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 non-profit 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 non-profit will train 125 people under The Flagship program, developing AI skills and supporting them with job placement.
- Mamo Pracuj Foundation (Poland) organises “The Cyber Women Leaders” program that enables women, including refugees and migrants, to return to the workforce after a career break. The non-profit 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 non-profit will train 345 people under this program and help them with career development.