Talent Mobility Fund is a philanthropic fund focused on helping talent move to opportunity through the increased use of existing immigration pathways.
Seminal research in global development suggests that loosening barriers to mobility could lead to a massive 50% increase in world GDP.
A recent estimate by a team of Stanford economists attributes almost a quarter of all US innovation since 1976 to high-skilled, foreign-born individuals.
Do you have an idea that has the potential to increase the use of existing immigration pathways?
An economic study International Math Olympiad (IMO) medalists found that those who were able to move were 3x more productive. IMO winners who were able to move to the U.S. were 6x more productive.
An October 2025 literature review on the effects of high-skilled immigration in the U.S. shows STEM immigrants help Americans establish more high-growth startup firms and cause more higher-paying jobs for Americans.
Through increased use of existing legal immigration pathways, we can empower more immigrants to move and work where they want and are needed.
This is possible under current law.
Existing legal pathways, especially for STEM grads and individuals with exceptional talent, and other pathways in the U.S. and globally—can be used to significantly increase the ability of talent to move to opportunity.
The Fund operates to leverage and maximize the potential of immigration pathways, specifically for STEM professionals entering or seeking to remain in the United States.
The Talent Mobility Fund deploys philanthropic funding and hands-on strategic support to back targeted projects that leverage existing immigration pathways, increasing the number of STEM professionals who are able to come or remain in the United States.
We are proud to be funding numerous projects that are leveraging existing immigration pathways to increase the number of STEM professionals who are able to come or stay in the United States.
Talent Mobility Fund is funded by a number of generous donors. We are looking for additional individual donors or institutions to join the Fund.
Are you a potential donor interested in learning more about the Fund? Please email Diane Rish, our Deputy Director, to learn about opportunities to contribute.
You can email Diane Rish, our Deputy Director, with any questions.
If you would like to apply for funding, please learn about our two-step application process here.
The grants review and selection process is managed by our Director and Deputy Director, with input from advisors on our experts council made up of domain area experts. All our grants are judged on the basis of a rubric. We use a rubric specific to our U.S. STEM Immigration ecosystem goals. In summary, we evaluate proposals on the basis of four criteria:
- Alignment with Goals
- Scalability and Impact Potential
- Measurement of Success
- Likelihood of Success
The Talent Mobility Fund is grateful for support from a number of donors. We are looking for additional individual donors or institutions to join the Fund. Please email Diane Rish, our Deputy Director, to learn about opportunities to contribute.
The Talent Mobility Fund aims to increase the use of existing, legal immigration pathways to the U.S. These include routes that:
- Enable global experts to contribute their skills in science, technology, healthcare, and other critical sectors through work authorization channels designed for highly qualified professionals.
- Open education-to-career pathways that allow students from the Global South to pursue higher education or apprenticeship programs, often followed by opportunities to transition into the workforce.
- Support early-career researchers and innovators by connecting them with industry and academic placements that strengthen both host institutions and global talent pipelines.
By focusing on raising awareness, reducing barriers to entry, and building tools that improve navigation of these systems, we aim to ensure that existing mobility opportunities are more widely understood and more equitably accessed.
Interested in visa pathways to countries other than the United States? Contact The Migration Opportunity, which aims to leverage diverse immigration pathways to OECD countries to address global challenges such as youth unemployment, poverty, demographic decline, and workforce shortages.
The Talent Mobility Fund is a program of Renaissance Philanthropy.