Lenovo Foundation Announces Grantees Delivering Transformational Impact Through Skilling

Lenovo increases access to tech skills for adults through partnerships with organizations around the world.
Feb 28, 2023 3:00 PM ET

February 28, 2023, /3BL Media/ - Lenovo Foundation announced the grantees of its annual grant round. Over the past two years, Lenovo has invested more than US$2 million in charitable organizations around the world focused on equipping today’s workforce with the skills needed to transform their career, lives, and communities. The grant round is part of the Foundation’s commitment and mission to transform the lives of 1 million people by 2025.

Investment in skilling is a priority for many tech companies, as candidates with skills in areas like automation, artificial intelligence, web development, and data analytics are in high demand as the global economy undergoes a digital transformation.

A recent World Economic Forum (WEF) report indicates that 97 million new job roles may emerge that are adapted to division of labor between humans, machines, and algorithms making skills in automation, artificial intelligence, web development and data analytics increasingly in high demand. The Lenovo Foundation believes creating an upskilled, reskilled, and agile workforce is urgently needed.

According to the 2020 Future of Jobs survey from WEF, a skills gap in the labor market and inability to attract specialized talent are the top reasons that businesses are struggling to adopt new technologies. The digital divide and effects of the global pandemic have widened the technology skills gap.

“We knew we wanted to provide support for skilling in communities, but it is critically important that we invest in organizations working to increase diversity in technology,” commented Calvin J. Crosslin, President of the Lenovo Foundation and Lenovo’s VP of Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer. “A more diverse tech workforce is critical to the future of innovation. Diverse teams are not just better at problem solving, but they better represent the customers and communities.”

The Foundation has received hundreds of applications from around the world from organizations well aligned to working on building STEM skills. With help from employee evaluator committees and the leadership of Lenovo’s global philanthropy board of executives, Lenovo is honored to support the missions of the organizations listed below.

Lenovo Foundation’s TransforMe grant round moves the needle on the organization’s work to transform one million lives. While the philanthropy team maintains partnerships across the STEM talent pipeline, it has taken up a specific transformational goal to focus on partnerships that offer a deeper impact for the current adult population.

“We continue to invest in STEM education, but the STEM talent shortage is happening now. We are excited to support adults who are ready to transform their careers today through these fantastic partners,” commented Crosslin.

The Lenovo Foundation has been investing in STEM skilling since its founding through established partnerships with organizations like Laboratoria, Migracode, TNS India Foundation, and Waffle Foundation, Japan. You can stay up to date with giving opportunities and learn more about Lenovo Foundation and its partners on www.LenovoFoundation.com.

ORGANIZATION NAME (Recipient Year) Location of Impact
Associação Generation Brasil (2023) Brazil
Comitê para Democratização da Informática – RECODE. (2023) Brazil
INSTITUTO ALIANÇA COM O ADOLESCENTE (2022) Brazil
Associação Instituto Proa (2022) Brazil
Instituto de Reciclagem do Adolescente (2022) Brazil
Simplon Foundation (2023) France
Asustem Robotics Academy (2023) Ghana
Migrasia Global Solutions Limited (2023) Hong Kong, S.A.R China
Friends Union for Energising Lives (2023) India
ICT Academy India (2022) India
Plan International Hong Kong (2022, 2023) Indonesia & Vietnam
NPO Sodateage (2023) Japan
NairoBits Trust (2022) Kenya
Mzuzu Entrepreneur Hub (2023) Malawi
Fundación Forge (2022) Mexico & Brazil
Programa Generation Mexico, A.C (2023) Mexico
Douar Tech (2022) Morocco
Centre for Information Technology and Development (2022) Nigeria
DreamSpace Foundation (2022) Sri Lanka
Code the Dream (2022) United States
MacDonald Training Center (2023) United States
i.c. stars (2023) United States
Per Scholas (2023) United States

You can stay up to date with giving opportunities and learn more about Lenovo Foundation and its partners on www.LenovoFoundation.com.