Value proposition

One million family-sustaining careers for Black talent, and others, without four-year degrees. Ten years.

OneTen is a coalition of leading chief executives and their companies who are coming together to upskill, hire and advance one million Black individuals who do not yet have a four-year degree into family-sustaining jobs with opportunities for advancement over the next 10 years. We connect employers with talent partners, leading non-profits and other skill-credentialing organizations who support the development of diverse talent.

OneTen was founded by Ken Chenault, chairman and managing director of General Catalyst and former chairman and CEO of American Express; Ken Frazier, chairman and CEO of Merck; Charles Phillips, managing partner of Recognize, chairman of the Black Economic Alliance, and former CEO of Infor; Ginni Rometty, executive chairperson of IBM; and Kevin Sharer, former CEO of Amgen and former faculty member at Harvard Business School. All five founders will serve on the Board of OneTen together with other participating CEOs. Ken Frazier and Ginni Rometty will serve as co-chairs. This coalition represents the largest-ever private sector-led mobilization of its type.

OneTen is not just philanthropy, but a coalition of leaders who are committed to ensuring that Black individuals with the skills and aptitude to earn success also have the opportunity to achieve it. Recognizing that the current system has reinforced systemic barriers that have prevented many Black Americans from the opportunity to earn success, OneTen seeks to change the way companies provide more equitable environments that drive better business outcomes and benefit all employees. Together, OneTen will cultivate an ecosystem that brings together major employers, in partnership with the nation’s leading non-profits and other skill-credentialing organizations, to create a more flexible talent pipeline and practices that will allow employees and employers to thrive by shifting to a skills-first paradigm.

OneTen is a project of Tides Center.

Visit us at OneTen.org to learn more and join us.