GitLab Foundation Reports $8 Billion in Lifetime Earnings Gains Across 775,000 People Worldwide

The Foundation's 2026 Impact Report shows the outcomes-driven grantmaking is on track for more than a 100x return on every dollar invested.

SAN FRANCISCO, May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- GitLab Foundation today released its 2026 Impact Report, which projects $8 billion in realized lifetime earnings gains for more than 775,000 individuals worldwide. GitLab Foundation also highlighted that based on results every $1 it has invested has created approximately $193 in lifetime earnings. That outpaces the Foundation's ambitious target of $100 in lifetime earnings for every $1 in grantmaking.

The report arrives at an urgent moment, when philanthropy faces heightened demands for measurable results and more efficient use of capital. With 40 grants reporting results through the end of FY26, more than three quarters of them have exceeded their ROI threshold — generating at least $100 for every $1 in funding. On average, these grants increased annual earnings by $11,887 per person and their lifetime earnings by $125,582 per person.

GitLab Foundation awarded more than 80 grants in FY26, committing $20.4 million in funds and mobilizing $18.2 million in direct and co-investments with peer funders.

"New technology is reshaping labor markets faster than most institutions can respond. We've made a deliberate bet at GitLab Foundation to move with speed and anchor on results while living our values of transparency and collaboration. We believe that will deliver the highest return on investment," said Ellie Bertani, President and CEO of GitLab Foundation.

She added: "Our role in this work is not just to fund promising tangible solutions, it is to take early risk, prove what is possible, and create conditions for larger capital to follow. This report shows we're meeting our ambitious goals."

The report includes stories from people like Estuardo Cifuentes, who gained asylum through GitLab grantee Mobile Pathways and its partner organization, Lawyers for Good Government. Drawing on his lived experience, Cifuentes helped shape Pathfinder, an AI platform that automatically pulls in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data to help flag critical status changes and send instant alerts as work permits move through the approval process.

Additional featured grantees span sectors, geographies and approaches that tackle GitLab Foundation's mission of raising people's lifetime earnings through access to opportunities. They include:

• AkiraChix: Where codeHive alumni now earn up to 6x the average income in sub-Saharan Africa
• Carina: A home-care platform connecting independent providers directly to clients, with a projected 107x return on GitLab Foundation's investment
• Recidiviz: AI tools that save correctional staff hours per client and produce personalized reentry plans for justice-impacted individuals, with a 439x projected return

Several of these investments have also been reinforced by co-funders. GitLab Foundation's early grant to Recidiviz, for example, helped unlock an additional $1.48 million from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, Greenbridge Foundation and The Smart Family Fund — nearly $6 in additional funding mobilized for every $1 the Foundation invested.

The report also highlights GitLab Foundation's work in the broader philanthropic community, including its approach to co-funding and partnerships and its Impact Advisory Services team.

The Impact Advisory Services team launched in FY26 to provide services to peer funders and extend the Foundation's mission and impact by helping other organizations apply an ROI lens to their work. The team grew from organic interest in our work and a desire to embed ROI measurement as one lens, among many, for key decisions.

The foundation's partnership work includes accelerating the responsible use of artificial intelligence to expand access to opportunity.

Through the AI for Economic Opportunity Fund, developed in partnership with OpenAI and with the support from Ballmer Group and The Annie E. Casey Foundation, the GitLab Foundation is supporting organizations using AI to improve career navigation, access to essential services or benefits and pathways to sustainable employment. By combining catalytic funding with technical support, funded projects are able to move quickly from early-stage innovation to scale.

GitLab Foundation's approach reflects a broader vision for the sector in which outcomes define success and learnings are shared openly. By aligning data and real-world outcomes with ambitious goals and disciplined execution, the Foundation is redefining the way philanthropy delivers impact.

The full report is available now at www.gitlabfoundation.org, where readers can also explore real-time dashboards and ongoing results.

About GitLab Foundation

GitLab Foundation is dedicated to improving lifetime earnings through access to opportunities. The Foundation supports innovative, results-driven solutions that expand economic mobility by increasing access to education, training and employment pathways worldwide. Guided by values of collaboration, efficiency, transparency and continuous learning, GitLab Foundation partners with organizations to drive measurable, lasting impact at scale.

SOURCE GitLab Foundation