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International Day of Education: Spotlight on Global Partners through ELCCF
From the U.S. to India, ELCCF partners are driving impact...
Company Feature, Jan 27, 2025
In recognition of International Day of Education (January 24), The Estée Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation (ELCCF) proudly celebrates the power of education in shaping lives and strengthening communities. As a company with a workforce of more than 80% women, The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) is committed to breaking down barriers to success for women and girls around the world.
An essential engine of this work is ELCCF, which, for nearly 10 years, has supported ELC’s values through global partnerships that help women and girls from under-resourced communities to enter, grow, and lead in the workforce.
FROM EDUCATION TO ECONOMIC SUCCESS
Across 26 countries, ELCCF has provided funding and strategic support for non-profits that take specific and localized approaches to connecting women and girls with education, skills training and development, leadership capabilities, and career placements.
On this International Day of Education, ELC recognizes these organizations on the frontlines and their evidence-based solutions to tackle this global challenge in the communities where we live, work, and source.

Graduates of The Young Women’s Leadership Schools celebrate their achievements.
In the United States, ELC and ELCCF have partnered with the Student Leadership Network and The Young Women’s Leadership Schools (TYWLS) for nearly 20 years to help girls and youth from underserved communities' access essential skills and resources for lifelong success through personalized leadership development programs, college and career readiness initiatives, scholarships, internships, and mentoring. ELCCF funding helps support 2,400 TYWLS students in SL Network’s CollegeBound Initiative, a program that helps students enhance their awareness of and access to college and financial aid.
Nearly 100% of TYWLS graduates attend college, and Student Leadership Network students graduate college at nearly four times the rate of their national peers.

Participants of Spelman's Black Beauty STEMinist Lab Intensive celebrate advancing representation in cosmetic science.
As part of ELCCF’s commitment to improving skills development and career opportunities, ELCCF partners with Spelman College on their Women in Cosmetic Science Summer Intensive, an in-person learning and development program for young women who are pursuing a certificate in Cosmetic Science.
In June 2024, ELCCF was proud to partner with Spelman to host its inaugural Black Beauty STEMinist Lab Intensive and Symposia, which celebrated the contributions of Black women in the cosmetic sciences through presentations, workshops, and insightful discussions from leading industry professionals, including guest speakers from ELC and M·A·C Cosmetics.

Girls participate in an interactive workshop as part of Unibes’ empowerment program, supported by ELCCF.
In Brazil, women earn about 77 percent of men’s wages and are concentrated in low-paying jobs.1 ELCCF and ELC Brazil partners with Unibes to support their adolescent girls’ empowerment and education programming, which aims to help girls acquire the skills needed for the job market while cultivating self-awareness and emotional resilience. Through engaging workshops, group discussions, video lessons, English language instruction, and makeup classes, the program prepares young women for professional success.

Participants in Pratham’s Vocational Skilling Program receive hands-on training.
In India, a secondary school education is a prerequisite for entry into higher education, skill apprenticeship, and for promotion in jobs. However, due to a myriad of factors, girls disproportionately drop out of school.2
Through the Second Chance Program, ELCCF and long-term partner Pratham have helped over 5,000 young women who dropped out of school to restart their secondary education and forge strong pathways for the future. ELCCF also supports Pratham’s Vocational Skilling Program, which provides skills training and job placement for underprivileged individuals, including women, across 10 industries. This program acts as a vital launchpad for their careers and successfully connects them to local businesses, helping them to change the trajectory of their lives and strengthening their community.
As an organization committed to supporting women and girls access the skills, tools, and opportunities necessary to thrive in the workforce, ELC and ELCCF know that education and job skills training are the first steps to building a bright future. ELCCF is committed together with our partners to help the next generation of young women achieve economic mobility and professional success, closing the gender employment gap.
1 "Brazilian Women Access Jobs, Opportunities, and Social Services." World Bank, 10 Feb. 2023, www.worldbank.org/en/results/2023/02/10/brazilian-women-access-jobs-opportunities-social-services-gender.
2 "Beyond Elementary." Pratham Education Foundation, www.pratham.org/programs/education/beyond-elementary/.