About
Upwardly Global is the leading national nonprofit dedicated to helping immigrants, refugees and asylees with professional credentials restart their careers in the United States. What began with one idea — that global talent should not be wasted — has grown into a movement that dismantles barriers and connects newcomers with career-aligned opportunities.
Mission
Upwardly Global dismantles employment barriers for work-authorized immigrant, refugee and asylee professionals while advancing the inclusion of their skills into the U.S. economy. It envisions an equitable, welcoming country where everyone — including immigrants, refugees and asylees — can fully contribute and thrive.
What they do
- UpGlo Direct: works one-on-one with immigrants rebuilding their careers, offering coaching and mentorship, resume-building tools, interview preparation and U.S. job readiness training
- UpGlo Talent: partners with employers to adopt inclusive hiring practices, including AI-enabled, skills-based search tools that help hiring managers bypass typical biases
- UpGlo Connect: collaborates with other nonprofits and educational institutions serving immigrants, sharing its career coaching model to build their capacity
- Prioritizes AI literacy for jobseekers so they can stay competitive in today's labor market
History
Upwardly Global was founded in 2000 by Jane Leu in San Francisco, growing out of her experience in refugee resettlement, where she met skilled professionals — including a former Iraqi engineer and a Bosnian surgeon — working in subsistence jobs unrelated to their expertise. Milestones include expanding to New York in 2006, launching a national online learning platform in 2012, supporting Afghan newcomers during Operation Allies Welcome in 2021, passing 10,000 job placements in 2023, receiving a major gift from MacKenzie Scott in 2024, and celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025.
Scale and impact
Upwardly Global has placed more than 35,000 jobseekers in skill-aligned jobs; people placed through its programs more than triple their salary on average. One in four employers using its talent solutions hires from within its network, and Upwardly Global alumni contribute over $1.9 billion annually to the U.S. economy. The organization notes that 50 percent of recently arrived immigrants hold at least a bachelor's degree, yet one in four cannot get a job at their skill level, leaving more than 2 million work-authorized immigrant professionals unemployed or underemployed.
Financials
According to Upwardly Global's IRS Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer), the organization reported total revenue of $28.6 million, total expenses of $18.3 million, total assets of $42.6 million and net assets of $39.9 million. Contributions made up about 91 percent of revenue.
Governance
Upwardly Global is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization (EIN 94-3346127). Its highest-paid executive in the 2024 filing was CEO Jasmeet Krause-Vilmar.