Genesys Works Gets $4 Million for Internships

Genesys Works has received a $4 million grant from Ballmer Group to expand paid internships and career readiness for high school students. The national nonprofit will use the investment to support growth through 2030, test program delivery approaches and update its curriculum for employers’ changing needs. The grant also begins a fundraising campaign tied to Genesys Works’ 25th anniversary in 2027. Its programs connect students with employers while AI reshapes entry-level work.

Paid Internship Pathways

Genesys Works offers paid, yearlong internships with employers including Accenture, Kirkland & Ellis, Mayo Clinic and Target. Students take on real responsibilities, build professional relationships and see how their education connects to career opportunities before graduating from high school.

“Young people shouldn't have to make decisions about their future without meaningful, hands-on experiences to inform their next steps. For nearly 25 years, Genesys Works has offered high school students that experience while helping companies build pathways for talent they might otherwise overlook. This grant from Ballmer Group will help make those opportunities part of how more students prepare for careers and more companies develop their workforce as we head into our next 25 years.”

Skills For AI Shaped Work

In Genesys Works’ 2026 intern performance reviews, supervisors reported that interns built AI tools their teams use daily and identified measurable savings. At a global medical technology company, one supervisor credited an intern’s review of duplicate tools and spending with identifying up to $100,000 in savings.

A September 2026 report from the National Association of State Boards of Education notes that as many as three in four Gen Z high school students feel unprepared for life after graduation, and about a third of teachers think their students are not ready for what comes next.

Career Access For Seniors

Genesys Works focuses on high school seniors who are on track to graduate and motivated to pursue college and careers but have limited access to paid professional opportunities and guidance to help them reach their goals. Many are the first in their families to attend college.

“Genesys Works shows that when high school students get real professional experience, it changes their trajectory. They carry that experience into college and careers, earning degrees, building strong professional lives, and often outearning their parents. We're investing so that more students have that opportunity.”

Results Beyond Graduation

According to Genesys Works’ 2025 Impact Report, alumni seven or more years out of the program earn an average annual income of $67,000. Of those alumni, 73% report earning more than at least one parent and 20% own their home. Alumni also earn bachelor’s degrees at 2.4 times the rate of their peers within six years.

Since its founding in 2002, Genesys Works has served more than 14,000 students in Chicago, Houston, Jacksonville, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nashville, New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, Tulsa and Washington’s National Capital Region.