Code.org, the nonprofit dedicated to bringing computer science education to all children, grew out of a video that went viral. In 2012, co-founders Ali and Hadi Partovi interviewed top entrepreneurs from Bill Gates to Mark Zuckerberg about their early experiences with computer programming. They then edited the conversations down to a five-minute clip meant to inspire a new generation of coders and teachers. The video, titled “What Most Schools Don’t Teach,” reached #1 on YouTube on its first day, and has amassed 12.9 million views in roughly two and a half years since. Another stat related to the short movie is arguably more important: 15,000 schools reached out to Ali and Hadi for help after the video went live. Since that first upload in 2013, Code.org has grown into a fully operational nonprofit and Salesforce partner. Code.org’s mission to make quality computer science education available to every child, and increase participation in the field by women and underrepresented students of color, has touched tens of millions of students to date. The stats on Code.org’s website are impressive, and to name a few: 195 million served by the organization’s “Hour of Code” annual campaign (49% of which were female); 8.8 million students enrolled in Code.org’s online courses; and 20,000 new K-12 teachers trained to teach computer science. “I have never, ever seen my students so excited about learning,” said teacher Michael Clark. Inspiring students with the love of learning is a goal of every teacher. Getting them excited about a field both underrepresented in American schools and crucial to the country’s future is vital to us all.

Through partnerships with 100 of the largest school districts in the United States, Code.org reaches almost 15% of Hispanic and African-American students in the nation. A quick scroll through Code.org’s donors and partners pages make it clear how valuable and important external partnerships are to the Code.org’s work. As a nonprofit, donors are essential to financing the organization’s continued work.