What We Fund

The Lester Fund searches out organizations that have implemented successful, replicable strategies to help young people attain decently-paying employment. 

We fund primarily in East Africa, but we are opportunistic. We will fund programs outside our catchment area if they have innovative strategies or best practices that can be replicated elsewhere.

While we are open to funding a variety of approaches, we are prioritizing funding for:

• School-to-work programs
• Sectoral training programs that prepare youth for employment in growing sectors of the labor market, and/or prepare current workers for better jobs in these sectors.
• Field-building efforts to strengthen local workforce development providers. Funds could be used to procure timely labor market research, develop linkages with employers and governments, and disseminate best practices and other information