An innovative new AI training initiative supported by a Mizuho USA Foundation FutureReady Grant
NEW YORK, Feb. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mizuho Americas and Pursuit today announced that Pursuit has received a three-year FutureReady Grant from the Mizuho USA Foundation to expand opportunity through technology and workforce innovation across New York City.
“AI is rapidly reshaping every job, not just those in tech,” said Nick Simmons, CEO of Pursuit. “The AI Nonprofit Build Corps ensures that communities who have historically been left out of tech revolutions are equipped to lead in this one. With Mizuho’s partnership, we’re proving that AI-powered workforce pathways can strengthen both people and the organizations that serve our city.”
Supported by Mizuho Americas’ signature grant, the AI Nonprofit Build Corps is a new initiative offering a training program that prepares participants to become AI-native experts, known as Pursuit Builders. Following their completion of the program, Builders take assignments at nonprofit organizations, helping them to develop and implement impactful AI capacity while gaining paid, hands-on experience applying AI to real-world challenges.
“Mizuho is committed to investing in the future of work in ways that are both innovative and inclusive,” said John Buchanan, Chief Information Officer, Mizuho Americas and Mizuho USA Foundation board member. “By supporting the AI Nonprofit Build Corps initiative, we’re helping AI adoption expand opportunity for organizations that serve our communities and for New Yorkers ready to contribute to an AI-enabled economy.”
The AI Nonprofit Build Corps initiative simultaneously addresses two urgent needs. Entry-level roles across industries increasingly require AI skills while traditional pathways to those jobs are becoming harder to access, particularly for New Yorkers from economically disadvantaged communities. At the same time, nonprofits serving those communities often lack technical expertise required to modernize their operations and respond to increased demand for their services.
By connecting AI-native talent with community-based organizations, AI Nonprofit Build Corps can create a bridge between workforce opportunity and social impact.
The program creates a virtuous cycle:
- Builders gain paid, real-world experience applying AI in professional settings, building portfolios, confidence, and networks that accelerate long-term career mobility.
- Nonprofits gain practical AI capacity that strengthens their operations, service delivery, and ability to meet community needs.
- New York City benefits from a stronger workforce and a more resilient social sector—helping ensure the AI economy supports broad-based growth rather than leaving communities behind.
"New York is one of the world's great innovation centers, and it is also home to a valuable nonprofit ecosystem that underpins economic mobility," said Liz Ceisler, Chief Human Resources Officer, Mizuho Americas, and Chair of the Mizuho USA Foundation. "We're proud to partner with Pursuit to bring AI-enabled talent into that ecosystem while supporting the training and development of AI-ready professionals."
The AI Nonprofit Build Corps will be launched in New York City and is designed for scale, creating a replicable model for how AI-native workforce development and community-based organizations can grow together.
About Pursuit
Pursuit is a New York City–based nonprofit that creates pathways to economic mobility by training adults with the greatest need and potential for AI-enabled careers. Since 2012, Pursuit has invested in individuals from low-income communities—70% Black or Latine, 50% receiving public assistance, 60% without four-year degrees, and 40% immigrants—to prepare them for the jobs of the future. To date, Pursuit has generated more than $1 billion in lifetime wage gains for program participants by partnering with employers, community organizations, and public leaders to deliver AI-native training that leads directly to real jobs and sustained wage growth. For more information, please contact Devika Gopal Agge, Chief Development & Employer Services Officer, devika@pursuit.org
About Mizuho
Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. is one of the largest financial institutions in the world as measured by total assets of ~$2 trillion, according to S&P Global 2024. Mizuho's 65,000 employees worldwide offer comprehensive financial services to clients in 36 countries and 850 offices throughout the Americas, EMEA, and Asia.
Mizuho Americas is a leading Corporate and Investment Bank (CIB) that provides a full spectrum of client-driven solutions across strategic advisory, capital markets, corporate banking, and fixed income and equities sales & trading to corporate, government, and institutional clients in the US, Canada, and Latin America. Through its acquisition of Greenhill, Mizuho enhanced its M&A, restructuring, and private capital advisory capabilities across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Mizuho Americas employs approximately 4,000 professionals. For more information visit www.mizuhoamericas.com.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Lauren Bellmare
Managing Director, Mizuho Americas
lauren.bellmare@mizuhogroup.com
Caroline Babinski
Associate, Mizuho Americas
caroline.babinski@mizuhogroup.com
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