Investment will support growth and innovation to increase access to paid internships and career readiness for high school students across the country
HOUSTON, TX, November 12, 2026 — Genesys Works, a national nonprofit that provides pathways to career success, announced today that it has received a $4 million grant from Ballmer Group to expand access to paid internships and prepare high school students for a workplace being reshaped by AI.
The investment will fund Genesys Works’ growth through 2030, including testing new approaches to program delivery and updating its curriculum to meet employers’ changing needs. It also helps kick off Genesys Works’ fundraising campaign tied to its 25th anniversary in 2027, supporting its vision for the next 25 years of career opportunity and economic mobility.
Through paid, yearlong internships with employers such as Accenture, Kirkland & Ellis, Mayo Clinic and Target, Genesys Works students take on real responsibilities, build professional relationships and learn how their education connects to career opportunities—all before graduating from high school. Employers, in turn, gain access to emerging talent.
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 their intern’s review of duplicate tools and spending with identifying up to $100,000 in savings.
That experience addresses a broader gap in preparation. 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.
“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,” said Byron V. Garrett, CEO of Genesys Works. “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.”
Genesys Works focuses on students in what it calls the “mighty middle”: 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,” said Emma Uman, Director, Career Success at Ballmer Group. “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.”
The value of that opportunity in high school lasts well 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.
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About Genesys Works
Genesys Works provides pathways to career success for high school students in underserved communities. Our program consists of 8 weeks of technical and professional skills training, paid yearlong corporate internships, college and career coaching, and long-term alumni support to help young people achieve professional careers and lasting economic mobility. Founded in 2002, Genesys Works now serves thousands of students annually in Chicago, Houston, Jacksonville, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nashville, New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, Tulsa and Washington’s National Capital Region. To learn more, visit genesysworks.org.
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