Upwardly Global

Upwardly Global is a United States nonprofit organization that focuses on integrating internationally trained professionals into the American workforce. The organization develops job training, employer engagement, and policy advocacy programs to connect immigrants, refugees, and asylees with professional careers. Operating primarily from San Francisco, it has worked with a network of employers, philanthropic foundations, and governmental partners to place candidates in fields such as engineering, healthcare, information technology, finance, and academia.

History

Founded in 2000 by Jerry C. Lin and Nancy Hoa, the organization emerged amid debates following the dot-com boom and shifts in immigration policy after the Immigration Act discussions of the 1990s. Early support came from foundations and municipal initiatives in San Francisco and outreach efforts intersected with communities linked to Chinatown, the Tenderloin, and the Mission District. During the 2000s the organization expanded nationally with pilots in New York City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., collaborating with workforce boards, community colleges, and civic groups. Key historical moments included program scaling during the 2008 financial crisis, partnerships with municipal employment agencies under Mayors from San Francisco and New York, and involvement in policy dialogues alongside organizations such as the Migration Policy Institute, the Brookings Institution, and the Urban Institute. Leadership transitions tracked relationships with corporate partners in Silicon Valley and Wall Street and engagements with refugee resettlement agencies like the International Rescue Committee, Catholic Charities, and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.

Mission and Programs

The mission centers on placing internationally trained professionals into commensurate employment. Core programs include résumé and credentialing assistance, occupational licensing navigation, interview coaching, and employer liaison services. Programming has targeted occupations in nursing with unions and hospitals like Kaiser Permanente, physician assistant pathways with medical centers affiliated with Johns Hopkins and Massachusetts General Hospital, engineering placements with firms such as Bechtel and Lockheed Martin, and IT roles connected to companies like Google, Microsoft, and Cisco. Training partners have included community institutions like City College of San Francisco, LaGuardia Community College, and workforce boards in Los Angeles and Chicago. Policy and advocacy efforts have engaged with state licensing boards in Texas, California, and New York, and collaborated with legal groups including the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the National Immigration Forum to address credential recognition and visa-related employment barriers.

Impact and Outcomes

Outcomes reported include job placements across sectors including finance at firms like JPMorgan Chase, investment banking ties to Goldman Sachs, accounting positions with Deloitte and PwC, and academic appointments through consortia linked to Columbia University and the University of California system. Employment metrics have been tracked alongside partner evaluations from RAND Corporation and reports in outlets such as The New York Times and The Washington Post. The organization’s alumni have entered leadership roles in organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Bank, and non-governmental organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Geographic impact maps often highlight concentrations in metropolitan regions such as the San Francisco Bay Area, New York metropolitan area, Chicago, Seattle, Boston, and Houston.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources historically combined philanthropic grants from foundations such as the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation, the Hewlett Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with corporate support from technology and finance firms including Facebook, Apple, Citigroup, and Morgan Stanley. Public contracts and grants have come from the U.S. Department of Labor, state workforce agencies in California and New York, and city governments in San Francisco and Philadelphia. Strategic partnerships included collaborations with professional associations such as the American Medical Association, the American Bar Association, the National Association of Social Workers, and industry groups like the American Institute of Architects. Research and evaluation partners have included Columbia University, Stanford University, Harvard Kennedy School, and the University of California, Berkeley.

Criticisms and Challenges

Critiques have focused on scalability, sustainability, and the limits of employer engagement in addressing systemic credential recognition. Scholars and commentators from think tanks like the Migration Policy Institute, the Center for American Progress, and the Cato Institute have debated the extent to which private placement services can address structural barriers linked to licensing boards, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services system, and higher education accreditation bodies. Operational challenges have included funding volatility tied to philanthropic cycles, competition for corporate partnerships with organizations such as Year Up and Bridges to Career, and measuring long-term career mobility in evaluations by RAND Corporation and university research centers. Legal and policy barriers remain salient in debates involving the American Bar Association, state medical boards, and labor unions in healthcare and construction trades.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in California