Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB)

Background

Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB) was created in 2016 as the result of a merger of existing international refugee employment efforts. This included efforts in the United States by attorneys Mary Louise Cohen and Bruce Cohen, ⁴ who had been working with the Harvard Advanced Leadership Institute to develop solutions to refugee labor issues. At the same time, Australian technology businessman John Cameron worked on similar projects with the Australian government and in collaboration with Amnesty International. ¹

As of 2025, TBB has offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and Jordan. ²

Activities

Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB) advocates for loosened immigration restrictions and allowing refugees to enter Western countries under skilled-admissions programs that allow them to work in addition to humanitarian-resettlement programs. TBB claims that hiring its candidates can advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts for companies hiring. ³

TBB’s primary activity is assisting refugees and migrants with job placements in their host countries. TBB assists companies with finding potential refugee employees, facilitates interviews, assists the company with visa applications, and further assists with refugee settlement once migrants have arrived in their host country. ^{5 3}

TBB has also advocated for changes to immigration and refugee laws to allow more migrant admissions and to loosen work-eligibility laws once refugees arrive in a host country. ¹

Financials

In 2023, Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB) reported $1,030,859 in revenue, of which $1,015,083 derived from grants and contributions (down from over $4.2 million in 2022) and $15,776 from investment income. It did not report any government funding, but did list several government agencies as financial supporters. These included the Population, Refugees, and Migration program at the U.S. Department of State; the United Nations; the UK Home Office; the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development; the European Commission; the Welsh Government; and the Canadian Government. ^{6 2}

TBB reported $2,329,555 in expenses, of which $449,005 was paid out in grants, $732,597 in salaries and compensation, $120,847 in travel expenses, $67,194 in conference and meeting expenses, $107,992 in dues and subscriptions, and $19,385 in professional development expenses. It ended the year with a net loss of $1,298,696 and net assets of $1,303,207. ⁷

TBB’s 2023 regional expense breakdown of its $2,226,000 budget was broken down into $687,000 for Australian operations, $719,000 for Canada, $1,027,000 for Europe, and $604,000 for US operations. ²

Listed non-government sponsors included LinkedIn, Zendesk, and the International Rescue Committee. ² The group also received a $3 million grant from Mackenzie Scott in 2022. ⁸

Leadership

Sorcha O’Callaghan is the executive director of Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB), a position she has held since November 2024. O’Callaghan has previously worked in humanitarian and refugee services in the United Kingdom, and also worked with the International Rescue Committee.  ⁹