Macquarie Group Foundation, the social impact wing of the Sydney, Australia-based Macquarie Group, has announced commitments totaling $2.75 million to New York City-based Pursuit in support of efforts to break down barriers to employment.

The foundation’s first social impact investment in the United States includes a $2 million commitment that—when combined with investments from Maycomb Capital, Strada, Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation, and ECMC Foundation—will mobilize a total of $5 million in support of Pursuit Commit, a three-year employer services program that enables employers to hire and retain non-traditional talent. In addition, the commitment includes a grant for Pursuit’s Core program, a one-year software engineering program designed to train high-potential individuals to become software developers.

“When Pursuit set out to raise this financing, our priorities were to find world-class investors who would bring expertise, intellectual capital, and had the potential to become long-term strategic partners,” said Pursuit co-founder and CEO Jukay Hsu. “In partnering with Macquarie, we have found that and much more. I am grateful for their leadership and investment, and I believe, together, we can positively reshape the job market, remove systems-level barriers to economic opportunity, and ultimately enable our fellows to achieve their own version of the American Dream.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Charday Penn)