Global Organizations

The institutions, foundations, and organizations working on youth employment, workforce development, and economic inclusion — described plainly, so you can decide if they are relevant to you.

International Institutions

World Bank Group

worldbank.org

The World Bank is the largest single source of multilateral funding for economic development globally. On youth employment specifically, it funds programs in skills training, digital workforce development, and job creation across low and middle income countries — with a particular focus on markets where youth unemployment is structurally high and where public institutions lack the capacity to address it alone. Their research on labor markets and NEET populations is among the most comprehensive available.

Research & DataField ProgramsPolicy

International Labour Organization (ILO)

ilo.org

The ILO is the United Nations agency responsible for setting international labor standards and tracking global employment trends. They publish the most widely cited data on youth unemployment and NEET populations worldwide, and operate field programs in dozens of countries supporting apprenticeships, skills development, and decent work initiatives. If you want to understand the scale and shape of the global youth employment problem, start here.

Research & DataPolicy

UNDP — United Nations Development Programme

undp.org

The UNDP focuses on human development broadly — poverty, inequality, governance, climate — but its youth employment work is significant, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. It funds and coordinates programs that address both the demand side (creating conditions for more jobs) and the supply side (preparing young people to fill them). Less operational than the World Bank, more focused on policy environment and governance reform.

PolicyField Programs

UNICEF

unicef.org

UNICEF is best known for its work with children, but its mandate extends to adolescents and young people through education, skills training, and transition-to-work programs in fragile and conflict-affected states. Their work often reaches populations that other organizations cannot — including young people displaced by conflict, young women in conservative social environments, and youth in the most remote rural areas. If the target population is the hardest to reach, UNICEF is often already there.

Field Programs

Foundations & Philanthropy

Rockefeller Foundation

rockefellerfoundation.org

The Rockefeller Foundation has been funding economic opportunity programs for over a century. Their current focus on youth employment runs through initiatives on digital jobs, inclusive economies, and climate-resilient livelihoods — particularly in Africa and South Asia. They are a significant funder of the kind of social enterprise and digital workforce development work that has proven most effective at scale in developing markets.

Field ProgramsFunding

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

gatesfoundation.org

The Gates Foundation is one of the largest private philanthropic organizations in the world. On workforce development, their focus is primarily on agricultural productivity and financial inclusion — which affects youth livelihoods significantly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia even when the programs are not explicitly labeled as youth employment initiatives. Worth understanding if you work in those geographies.

FundingResearch & Data

Mastercard Foundation

mastercardfdn.org

The Mastercard Foundation is one of the most significant funders of youth employment programs in Africa specifically. Their Young Africa Works initiative aims to enable 30 million young people — primarily young women — to access dignified work by 2030. They fund at scale, work directly with governments and private sector partners, and focus on sectors where employment growth is most likely: agriculture, technology, financial services.

Field ProgramsFunding

Ford Foundation

fordfoundation.org

The Ford Foundation funds economic justice broadly, with a particular focus on inequality, workers' rights, and economic opportunity for historically excluded populations. In the context of global youth employment, their work is most relevant in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa, and tends to focus on the structural and policy conditions that shape whether young workers can access decent work — not just whether jobs exist.

FundingPolicy

Social Enterprises & NGOs

Digital Divide Data (DDD)

https://www.digitaldividedata.com

Digital Divide Data is a social enterprise that employs young people in Kenya, Cambodia, and Laos through digital services centers — data operations, research support, and content work for corporate and institutional clients. The model is direct: train young people from vulnerable backgrounds in marketable digital skills, employ them in real client work at competitive quality standards, and create a pathway to economic independence. One of the most credible examples of impact sourcing done at genuine commercial scale.

Digital JobsField Programs

BRAC

https://www.brac.net

BRAC is one of the largest non-governmental organizations in the world, founded in Bangladesh and now operating across Asia and Africa. Their youth employment work spans skills training, microfinance, and livelihood programs at a scale that few other NGOs can match. Particularly strong in reaching young women and people in rural areas who are furthest from formal employment markets.

Field Programs

Mercy Corps

mercycorps.org

Mercy Corps operates in fragile and conflict-affected states where economic opportunities are most limited and the youth unemployment problem is most acute. Their approach combines humanitarian response with economic development — building market systems and employment pathways in the same environments where they are delivering emergency assistance. Relevant for anyone working in the most difficult operating environments.

Field Programs

Ashoka

ashoka.org

Ashoka identifies and supports social entrepreneurs — people building organizations and systems that address social problems at scale. Their network includes dozens of fellows working on youth employment, education, and economic inclusion worldwide. Worth knowing if you are looking for innovative models rather than established programs.

Field ProgramsInnovation

International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP)

https://www.iaop.org

IAOP is the global professional association for the outsourcing and global business services industry — connecting corporate buyers, service providers, and advisors across the sector. Their impact sourcing and socially responsible outsourcing work is directly relevant to youth employment: the outsourcing industry is one of the primary channels through which young workers in developing markets can access digital jobs at scale. IAOP's annual Global Outsourcing 100 and its Centers of Excellence on impact sourcing make it a useful resource for organizations trying to connect corporate demand with emerging market talent.

Digital JobsProfessional Network

Global Mentorship Initiative (GMI)

https://globalmentorship.org

GMI is a nonprofit connecting historically underrepresented graduates worldwide with structured one-to-one virtual mentorship from working professionals — coaching them through the critical window between graduation and their first career job. The program is free, fully virtual, and available in English, Spanish, and French, making it accessible to graduates in high-unemployment markets globally. Since launching in 2019 as part of the Rockefeller Foundation's Digital Jobs Initiative, GMI has worked with over 25,000 students and mentors across 160+ partner universities — with 74% of program completers securing employment within six months of graduation.

MentorshipDigital Jobs