Dive Brief:
- Salesforce will give a total of $18.2 million in grants to the San Francisco and Oakland school districts in California as well as local education nonprofits "to expand educational opportunities for students and leaders in the Bay Area," the company said in a news release.
- San Francisco Unified School District will receive an $8.5 million grant, while Oakland Unified School District will receive an $8.7 million grant. Salesforce will also give $500,000 to both the CORE and Blueprint Schools Network nonprofits. The company said it has an established partnership with San Francisco and Oakland school districts. The newest grants will help them expand computer science curriculum, add innovative math programs, and help with teacher training, recruitment and retention. Funding will also support black students entering and in the high school system.
- Additionally, the company's employees will devote 100,000 volunteer hours in education for the 2019-2020 school year for the two districts.
Dive Insight:
This is not Salesforce's first investment in education. In May, the company signed the Pledge to America's Workers and announced plans to train half a million U.S. workers. In August, it announced its partnership with Southern New Hampshire University to open up its online training platform to users, enabling them to earn college credit.
Salesforce isn't the only organization to pour its resources into education. Google and the National 4-H Council, for example, announced in June a $6 million grant for equipment, resources and training for youth in rural and underserved communities, aiming to educate 1 million in computer sciences in the next three years. This reflects a broader trend — businesses have looked to partnerships to help them navigate this period of digital transformation, according to a report from the Information Services Group.
