Introduction
The Workday Foundation is the philanthropic foundation associated with Workday, Inc., the enterprise technology company, and focuses on expanding economic opportunity, preparing people for in-demand careers and strengthening community resilience in a rapidly changing, AI-driven economy.
Established in 2013 through a Workday stock grant, the Foundation has grown from a workforce development-focused corporate philanthropy initiative into a broader grantmaker supporting job skills, green careers, human connection, disaster preparedness and global health. Workday reports that the Foundation has awarded more than US$58 million in grants since 2013.
History and Background
The Workday Foundation was established in 2013 as part of Workday’s commitment to social impact and employee engagement.
Workday, Inc. itself was founded in 2005 by Aneel Bhusri and Dave Duffield as a cloud-based enterprise software company. The Foundation was created later as a separate philanthropic vehicle rather than at the time Workday was founded.
Workday disclosed that it granted 500,000 shares of common stock to the Workday Foundation during fiscal 2013. The Foundation was established to support charitable grants, humanitarian relief, employee matching contributions, volunteering and social-development initiatives.
U.S. nonprofit records classify the Workday Foundation as a 501(c)(3) private foundation and corporate foundation. It received federal tax-exempt status in 2014.
Evolution of the Foundation
The Foundation initially concentrated heavily on workforce development, particularly organizations helping people from underserved backgrounds gain technology skills and access meaningful employment.
Its early funding supported areas such as:
- Technical training
- Coding programs
- Career preparation
- Veterans’ employment
- Opportunity youth
- Workforce readiness
- Economic mobility
Over time, the Foundation expanded its approach as technology, climate change, public-health risks and social disruption increasingly affected workers and communities.
Its current strategy reflects the impact of artificial intelligence on employment and emphasizes continuous learning, human connection and community resilience.
Mission and Purpose
The Workday Foundation describes its current purpose as elevating human potential through purposeful work and meaningful connection in the AI era.
It invests in solutions that help people continuously develop relevant skills, enter sustainable careers and remain resilient as technology transforms the workplace.
Its principal areas of focus include:
- Workforce development
- AI and digital skills
- Technical training
- Stackable credentials
- Skills-based employment
- Green jobs
- Workforce-development ecosystem building
- Human connection
- Disaster resilience
- Global health and pandemic prevention
Closing the Opportunity Gap
Economic mobility remains one of the Foundation’s central priorities.
The Foundation supports organizations helping people who may face barriers to employment develop practical skills and gain access to thriving-wage careers.
This approach emphasizes skills and capabilities rather than relying exclusively on traditional educational credentials or established professional networks.
The Foundation particularly supports workforce-development organizations that connect training with actual employment opportunities.
AI and Future Workforce Skills
Artificial intelligence has become increasingly important to the Foundation’s strategy.
The Foundation supports organizations that provide:
- AI skills development
- Technical training
- Digital career preparation
- Industry-recognized credentials
- Career-transition support
- Skills for emerging occupations
The objective is to help workers adapt to technological change rather than be excluded from new economic opportunities created by AI and automation.
Human Connection
The Foundation has also expanded its work beyond employment to consider how technology affects relationships, trust and community life.
Chief Impact Officer Carrie Varoquiers has led the Foundation’s growing focus on initiatives that strengthen in-person human connections and address issues including loneliness, social isolation, distrust and civic disengagement.
Governance and Structure
The Workday Foundation operates as a corporate private foundation connected to Workday but is governed through its own Board of Directors.
The Foundation’s work is led by Carrie Varoquiers, Workday’s Chief Impact Officer, who leads the Workday Foundation and the company’s Social Impact team.
Board of Directors
The Foundation’s current official webpage identifies the following board members:
- Aneel Bhusri
- Mike Frandsen
- Carol Lindstrom
- Tony La Russa
- Stephen E. Taylor
- Steve Young
- Jay Banfield
Aneel Bhusri, co-founder, CEO and Chair of Workday, also serves on the Workday Foundation board. He returned to the role of Workday CEO in February 2026.
The board combines business, nonprofit, legal and community leadership experience.
Relationship with Workday
The Workday Foundation is closely connected to Workday’s wider corporate responsibility strategy.
Workday contributes through:
- Foundation grantmaking
- Employee volunteering
- Mentoring
- Skills-based pro bono support
- Employee charitable contributions
- Workforce programs
- Technical assistance to nonprofit partners
Workday states that its community investments combine philanthropy with employee time, expertise and direct engagement.
Funding and Grants
The Workday Foundation is an active grantmaking foundation.
Workday reports that it has awarded more than US$58 million since 2013.
In the period covered by Workday’s 2025 Global Impact Report, the Foundation provided approximately US$7.7 million in grants supporting workforce-development ecosystems, green jobs and other global community priorities.
The Foundation’s current grantmaking portfolio includes:
- Workforce Development Grants
- Green Jobs funding
- Workforce Development Field Building
- Upstream Grants
- Workday Headquarters Regional Grants
Workforce Development Grants
Workforce development remains the Foundation’s core grantmaking area.
The Foundation supports nonprofits that provide people with training and credentials for in-demand careers.
Programs may include:
- AI training
- Technology skills
- Coding
- IT certification
- Career coaching
- Workforce readiness
- Employer connections
- Apprenticeship-style experiences
- Skills-based career pathways
Current and recent workforce-development partners listed by Workday include organizations such as Generation, Per Scholas, NPower, JVS, Code Platoon, ActivateWork, i.c.stars and Upwardly Global.
Geographic Reach
The Foundation works with nonprofit partners across several regions.
Its workforce-development partnerships include organizations operating in:
- North America
- Europe, the Middle East and Africa
- Asia-Pacific
Workday states that its grants combine financial support with employee volunteering, mentoring, technical assistance and trust-based collaboration.
How Organizations Approach the Foundation
The Workday Foundation does not currently operate as a conventional public application portal with a permanently open competitive request for proposals.
Its official website invites organizations working in adult workforce development or human connection to submit a description of their work. If the organization appears aligned with the Foundation’s priorities, Workday may request additional information.
This means the Foundation’s approach is more relationship-based than many open-call grant programs.
Potential applicants should demonstrate:
- Strong alignment with Foundation priorities
- Clear workforce or community outcomes
- Evidence of impact
- Capacity to deliver programs
- Opportunities for meaningful partnership
Green Jobs and Just Transition Funding
The Foundation supports workforce development connected to the transition toward a low-carbon economy.
Carrie Varoquiers developed the Foundation’s Just Transition Fund, which invests in organizations reskilling job seekers for green careers.
Green-jobs partners listed by the Foundation include organizations such as:
- GRID Alternatives
- INCO
- Generation
- Just Transition Fund
The approach recognizes that the transition toward cleaner energy and sustainable industries will create new jobs but may also disrupt existing occupations.
Foundation-supported programs help workers acquire skills needed for emerging sectors.
Workforce Development Field Building
The Workday Foundation also invests in organizations working to improve the wider workforce-development ecosystem rather than only training individuals.
Current partners include organizations such as:
- Opportunity@Work
- SHRM Foundation
- SkillUp
Field-building activities may help advance:
- Skills-based hiring
- Employer education
- Alternative credentials
- Better workforce data
- Career-navigation systems
- Removal of unnecessary degree requirements
This strategy seeks to change employment systems as well as individual outcomes.
Upstream Grant Fund
The Upstream Grant Fund represents an expansion beyond Workday’s traditional workforce-development mission.
It was created to invest in prevention and address the root causes of major global challenges before they become more damaging to people and communities.
The Fund focuses on three principal areas:
- Building unified communities
- Disease and pandemic prevention
- Disaster resilience and response
Building Unified Communities
The Foundation supports organizations working to reduce division, distrust and social fragmentation.
These initiatives seek to create stronger relationships across differences and reduce the risks of hostility and violence.
Current partners publicly listed by Workday include:
- New Pluralists
- One America Movement
- Interfaith America
- More in Common
- U.S. Chamber of Connection
Disease and Pandemic Prevention
The Upstream Grant Fund also supports organizations strengthening global health systems and reducing the impact of future disease outbreaks.
Partners include:
- Gavi
- WHO Foundation
The Foundation’s approach emphasizes prevention, preparedness and health-system resilience rather than limiting philanthropy to emergency response after a crisis begins.
Disaster Resilience and Response
Workday supports organizations capable of preparing communities before disasters and rapidly deploying assistance after emergencies.
Partners include:
- American Red Cross
- Direct Relief
- World Central Kitchen
The Foundation has emphasized that proactive disaster preparedness can reduce damage while pre-positioned resources allow organizations to respond immediately when emergencies occur.
Workday Headquarters Regional Grants
The Foundation also provides targeted community support around Workday’s headquarters region in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Current partners displayed by Workday include Goodness Village and organizations serving the Tri-Valley area.
These grants complement the Foundation’s broader global workforce and Upstream portfolios by supporting communities close to Workday’s corporate presence.
Major Programs and Initiatives
Opportunity Onramps
Opportunity Onramps® is Workday’s flagship workforce-development movement designed to connect talent from nontraditional backgrounds with employment opportunities.
The initiative provides:
- Paid training
- Internships
- Work-based learning
- Career opportunities
- Employer engagement
It seeks to remove unnecessary employment barriers and encourage companies to consider skills and potential rather than relying only on traditional credentials.
Earlier versions of the program included opportunities for military veterans, young adults facing barriers to employment and people returning to the workforce after taking time away for caregiving.
Skills-Based Hiring
The Workday Foundation promotes skills-first hiring as a strategy for expanding economic opportunity.
Rather than screening candidates primarily according to university degrees or traditional career histories, skills-based hiring evaluates whether people possess the abilities needed to perform a particular role.
The Foundation works with organizations seeking to:
- Build alternative talent pipelines
- Improve career navigation
- Develop recognized credentials
- Encourage employers to remove unnecessary degree requirements
- Increase access to thriving-wage employment
UNTAPPED
Workday developed the documentary UNTAPPED as part of its effort to raise awareness about skills-based hiring.
The film focuses on the opportunity gap and the potential for employers to identify talent beyond traditional recruiting pathways. Carrie Varoquiers served as executive producer.
The initiative demonstrates that the Foundation’s strategy includes public awareness and employer behaviour change in addition to direct grants.
Solopreneurship Accelerator Program
In May 2026, Workday announced a new AI-focused Solopreneurship Accelerator Program in partnership with Anthropic and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation.
The pilot initiative combines AI training with entrepreneurship support for aspiring small-business owners in selected U.S. communities.
The program includes US$150,000 in seed funding, AI skills development and access to Claude AI credits.
The initiative reflects the Foundation’s evolving approach to economic mobility in an AI-driven labour market.
Employee Volunteering and Mentoring
Workday employee involvement is an important component of the Foundation’s model.
Grants may be accompanied by:
- Volunteer support
- Career coaching
- Mentoring
- Technical expertise
- Skills-based consulting
- Professional-network access
This gives nonprofit partners access to resources beyond cash grants.
Impact and Examples of Work Funded
More Than US$58 Million Awarded
The Foundation’s official U.S. website reports that it has awarded more than US$58 million since 2013.
Its funding has supported organizations providing workforce development, green-job training, economic mobility, global-health preparedness, disaster resilience and stronger community connections.
Generation
Generation is among the Foundation’s global workforce-development partners.
The organization provides employment training and career pathways in several countries and is also listed within Workday’s green-jobs portfolio across North America, EMEA and Asia-Pacific.
Its inclusion reflects the Foundation’s interest in scalable workforce models that can operate across multiple regions.
Per Scholas
Per Scholas is a North American nonprofit partner that provides technology training and career support for people seeking entry into technology-related occupations.
The partnership aligns directly with the Foundation’s goal of expanding access to in-demand technical careers.
Code Platoon
Code Platoon is another workforce-development partner listed by the Foundation.
Its work focuses on helping veterans and military spouses develop technical skills and transition into technology careers.
This reflects Workday’s long-standing interest in technical training for populations facing specific employment-transition challenges.
Direct Relief
Direct Relief is supported through the Foundation’s Upstream Grant Fund.
Its work focuses on expanding access to medicine and healthcare and strengthening the ability of healthcare professionals and vulnerable communities to prepare for and respond to emergencies.
American Red Cross
The Foundation supports the American Red Cross as part of its disaster resilience portfolio.
The organization combines emergency response with preparedness training for individuals, schools and communities so that they can better protect themselves before disasters occur.
WHO Foundation
The WHO Foundation is among the Workday Foundation’s global-health partners.
Its activities help mobilize private funding for global health challenges including pandemic preparedness, antimicrobial resistance, clean water, sanitation and healthcare access.
Green Economy Workforce Development
The Just Transition Fund and related green-jobs investments help workers prepare for employment opportunities associated with the low-carbon transition.
This strategy connects climate action with economic mobility by ensuring that workers can participate in emerging sectors instead of being excluded by technological and industrial change.
Recent Annual Grantmaking
Workday’s 2025 Global Impact reporting stated that the Foundation provided US$7.7 million in grants during the reporting year to organizations supporting workforce-development ecosystems, green jobs and global community challenges.
This annual grantmaking demonstrates that the Foundation continues to operate as an active corporate philanthropic funder rather than simply relying on its original 2013 stock contribution.
Understanding the Workday Foundation as a Donor
The Workday Foundation is best classified as a corporate private foundation and strategic grantmaker.
Its grantmaking differs from a traditional open-call international development donor because partnerships are generally highly aligned with Workday’s social-impact priorities.
The Foundation is particularly relevant to nonprofit organizations working in:
- Adult workforce development
- AI and digital skills
- Technology training
- Economic mobility
- Green jobs
- Skills-based hiring
- Workforce-system reform
- Human connection
- Disaster preparedness
- Global health resilience
Organizations working outside these areas may have limited alignment with its current funding strategy.
Research Grants
The Workday Foundation does not currently advertise a broad program of independent academic research grants comparable to a university research council or scientific foundation.
Research may be supported indirectly where it contributes to:
- Workforce-development policy
- Skills-based hiring
- AI and employment
- Human connection
- Economic mobility
- Global health preparedness
- Disaster resilience
Universities and research organizations are more likely to engage through strategic partnerships or Foundation-aligned initiatives than through unrestricted basic research proposals.
Conclusion
The Workday Foundation is the corporate philanthropic foundation associated with Workday, Inc., and has evolved into an important funder of workforce development, economic mobility and community resilience.
Established in 2013 with a Workday stock grant, the Foundation initially focused on helping people from underserved backgrounds gain technical skills and access meaningful careers. Its strategy has since expanded to address AI-related workforce change, green jobs, skills-based hiring, human connection, global health and disaster preparedness.
The Foundation is led by Workday Chief Impact Officer Carrie Varoquiers and governed by a board that includes Workday co-founder and CEO Aneel Bhusri along with leaders from business, law, sport and nonprofit sectors.
With more than US$58 million awarded since 2013, the Workday Foundation provides not only financial grants but also employee volunteering, mentoring, technical assistance and strategic collaboration.
Its workforce-development grants, Just Transition investments, Upstream Grant Fund and Opportunity Onramps initiative demonstrate a broader philosophy: helping people build the skills, connections and resilience required to participate successfully in a rapidly changing economy.
For nonprofits working in workforce development, AI skills, green jobs, economic mobility or human connection, the Workday Foundation can be an important potential funding and partnership institution, although its grantmaking is relationship-driven rather than based on a permanently open public application competition.
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