2024 Q2 Board Book (Staff)

The June 24-27th, 2024 Board Meeting focused on the Foundation's strategic program development, impact measurement, and organizational improvement, all focused on enabling dignified and fulfilling work for young people, primarily in Africa, and for Indigenous youth in Canada. This quarter is marked by detailed reviews of existing programs, the planning of new initiatives, and a clear emphasis on data-driven decision-making and collaborative partnerships.

Key activities and initiatives during this quarter include:

1) Strategic Planning and Program Development: The Foundation is actively developing and scaling various programs, with a strong focus on climate action, digital transformation, and access to finance. This includes a commitment to integrating a climate lens across all programs, with a focus on workforce development and entrepreneurship in priority sectors. New initiatives include a Global Business Services program aimed at creating 500,000 jobs in the BPO/IT sector, and a Resilience in Secondary Education (RISE) Africa initiative to provide 'second chance' education to 20 million out-of-school youth. A focus on agri-food systems and the digital economy continues.

2) Program Performance Review and Impact Measurement: The Foundation is using data to drive decisions, with a focus on how to count youth in work, by refining methodologies to capture primary, secondary and tertiary youth employment. A baseline study in Kenya indicates that 82% of Foundation-supported youth are either "progressing towards" or "accessing" dignified and fulfilling work, but with significant gender disparities. The Foundation is developing a framework to measure its impact on policy and thought leadership.

3) Key Program Initiatives: The Young Africa Works program is central, with the goal of enabling 30 million young people to access dignified work by 2030. Community Health Worker programs aim to train and employ 600,000 workers, with a focus on women, across 13 countries. The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is scaling up at the African Leadership University and the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences. The Associate Program is being piloted to provide young people with work experience and wraparound support, with a focus on engaging SMEs and ensuring fair wages. The Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative is moving to its second phase, with a focus on workforce development for Community Health Workers and strengthening public health systems. The African Catalytic Investment Facility (ACIF) is designed to deploy catalytic financing to private sector 'African Champions', to create access to 10 million jobs. The EleV Program in Canada focuses on Indigenous communities and the green economy.

4) Financial Overview: The Foundation has committed $9.1 billion in total, with $4.5 billion disbursed. 67% of funds are committed to African organizations.

5) Partnerships and Collaboration: The Foundation is focused on scaling existing partnerships and identifying new ones, including collaborations with government bodies, educational institutions, and private sector organizations. The Foundation is also supporting youth-led organizations.

6) Inclusion and Equity: The Foundation is committed to gender equality and inclusion across all of its programs. It is also focused on ensuring programs reach refugees, displaced persons, and people with disabilities.

7) Organizational Agility and Culture: The Foundation is working to enhance organizational agility, streamline processes, and build trust. A Culture Roadmap is being implemented to guide working norms with partners and teams.

8) Technology and Innovation: The Foundation is modernizing its technology infrastructure, and is focused on utilizing technology to expand its reach and impact. There is a focus on digital solutions, such as online learning platforms and digital finance models.

These activities highlight the Foundation's dedication to achieving large-scale impact through a combination of strategic programming, data-driven decision-making, strong partnerships, and a focus on organizational improvement. The Foundation aims to create sustainable and inclusive opportunities for young people, while also addressing critical issues such as climate change and health.