Code.org raises $12 million from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and others

Code.org, the non-profit organization that aims to increase access to computer science education, has raised $12 million in philanthropic funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Infosys Foundation USA  and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The announcement came as part of a Computer Science Education Week kickoff event in San Mateo. Meanwhile, eight states, 76 school districts and 102 organizations nationwide made pledges to expand access to computer science education to millions of students.

Those who made the pledge include Florida Governor Rick Scott, who made a $15 million investment to increase opportunities for middle and high school students and California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, who launched a Computer Science for California campaign to bring CS education to all students in California by 2025.

“California is the tech capital of the country and home to Silicon Valley, but we don’t teach our
students the foundational skills to access the jobs of the future,” Newsom said in a press release. “Right now most schools in California don’t offer any computer science classes and sadly, that disparity is punctuated by striking gender and racial gaps,” Lt. Governor Newsom said. “I’m thrilled to announce the launch of CSforCA to make sure every California student has access to high-quality computer science education.”

Code.org is not the only organization working to increase access to computer science education. Black Girls Code, for example, aims to introduce young black girls to computer science and teach them how to code. In September, Black Girls Code received a $255,000 donation from General Motors as part of a collaborative effort to advance science, technology, engineering and mathematics education in Detroit.

Another organization taking part in CS Education Week is Vidcode, a Y Combinator-backed startup that aims to make coding more accessible to teens. This week, Vidcode is offering women in tech webinars at schools and recently launched a new intermediate hour of code activity called “Code the Eclipse.”