In July, GitLab Foundation joined more than a thousand educators, employers, investors and workforce leaders in Washington, DC, for the Jobs for the Future (JFF) Horizons Summit, offering the opportunity to catch up with grantee partners doing the day-to-day work of getting people into better jobs.

The California Energy, Power, Innovation Collaborative (Cal EPIC) is on a mission to equip Sacramento’s workforce with skills needed to thrive in the emerging clean energy industry. It supports the region’s zero-carbon goals, uplifts its community and positions the city as a hub for clean mobility.

GitLab Foundation is proud to partner with NextLadder Ventures on Dollars In Pockets, a new, comprehensive metric NextLadder Ventures will use to ensure its mission of doing the most good, for the most people as quickly as possible.

GitLab Foundation and the Families and Workers Fund today announced the launch of Round 2 of the Powering Economic Opportunity Fund, the second year of a two-year, $16 million partnership designed to help workers access durable, living-wage careers in sectors experiencing sustained growth across the United States, including renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, infrastructure and related skilled trades.

As philanthropy evolves and global challenges become increasingly complex, innovation is no longer optional. Expanding economic mobility requires funders to adapt quickly, make informed decisions and move resources where they are needed most.

GitLab Foundation president and CEO, Ellie Bertani, walks through what drives our work, including the metric at the heart of this year’s report: for every $1 we invest, we aim to generate $100 in lifetime earnings.

Since our earliest grants, 47 funders have joined us in supporting organizations across our portfolio, contributing more than $90 million in additional funding. By going first, we are taking on early stage risk that makes it easier for other funders to say yes.

The GitLab Foundation’s AI for Economic Opportunity Fund is advancing a new model for social impact, supporting organizations that use AI to expand access to legal guidance, public benefits and worker protections.

GitLab Foundation’s 2026 Impact Report projects $8 billion in realized lifetime earnings gains for more than 775,000 individuals worldwide. GitLab Foundation also highlighted that based on results every $1 it has invested has created approximately $193 in lifetime earnings.

Ask Aya is helping domestic workers turn knowledge into power, from understanding their rights to negotiating better wages. Built by the National Domestic Workers Alliance, the platform shows how AI can expand economic opportunity when designed with the communities it serves.

At GitLab Foundation, we believe that access to better work changes lives. That's why we're proud to announce New Opportunities for Vocational Advancement (NOVA), a strategic initiative designed to close the gap between workforce potential and economic opportunity in Colombia.

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape labor markets faster than the systems meant to support workers can respond, GitLab Foundation is proud to announce 16 new AI for Economic Opportunity Fund grant recipients.  

Reforming state hiring systems. Streamlining access to financial aid for underserved students. Developing a hub for public agencies to test, learn and scale AI solutions.

These are some of the ways that recipients of the AI for Economic Opportunity Fund are expanding their reach and impact and creating access to opportunity. GitLab Foundation is proud to share that six prior recipients have been awarded a combined $6M in additional funding to expand their impact and reach.

Since 2020, the clean energy sector has added more than 520,000 jobs, with $279 billion invested in clean energy development across the U.S. in the past year alone. Yet for many workers who need these opportunities most, the pathway to access them remains unclear. 

Colombia’s labor market holds untapped potential. There are millions of workers in the informal sector, young people ready to contribute and women and migrants who bring unique skills.

Childcare. Home health support. Caring for the elderly. Each of these is an example of care work, the work that makes it possible for millions of people to participate in the workforce every day.

The fund strengthens grantees’ ability to measure outcomes, test new approaches and learn in real time.

GitLab Foundation, in collaboration with OpenAI, is launching the third round of the AI for Economic Opportunity Fund. We seek bold projects that harness artificial intelligence to transform the systems that shape economic opportunity.

An increase in income means so much more than a paycheck. Financial security is the difference between an investment in a family’s future or falling deeper into a continuous cycle of debt and poverty.