Firm Commits to Support of Code.org, Leading Tech Nonprofit, With New
$1 Million Grant
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) Chairman and CEO Laurence D. Fink has joined
industry-leading corporate executives, public officials and education
advocates as a signatory of a landmark letter calling on the US Congress
to support computer science education nationwide through $250 million in
new federal funding.
The call to Congress was initiated by the Computer Science Education
Coalition in partnership with Code.org.
The Coalition is an advocacy group comprising over two dozen businesses,
education groups and nonprofits including Amazon, Google, Microsoft. In
addition to BlackRock, other supporters of the Open Letter include Bill
Gates, Microsoft founder; Eric Schmidt, Alphabet executive chairman;
Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO; Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter and Square, and Reid
Hoffman, LinkedIn chairman.
“As a technology driven company, BlackRock is proud to stand boldly in
support of making computer science education universal across America,”
said Laurence D. Fink, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
BlackRock. “We believe that a basic computer science skill set is all
but essential to successfully navigate today’s increasingly complex and
technologically dependent world. BlackRock highly values advocacy
measures that will ensure that children learn these skills in schools
across the US – and indeed the world.”
“At BlackRock, technology professionals have been a significant driver
of our developing talent base each year and we currently employ 2,000
tech-focused employees. We remain very focused on providing young people
with access to critical coding skills and promoting coding opportunities
at the earliest age possible. We are happy to build on that mission
through this two-year commitment to Code.org,” said Robert Goldstein,
BlackRock’s Chief Operating Officer.
BlackRock’s action is aligned with the firm’s philanthropic commitment
to Code.org, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding
access to computer science education and in particular increasing
participation by women and students of color. Code.org’s vision is for
every student in every school to have the opportunity to learn computer
science – both to become literate citizens in today’s digital world as
well as having foundation computer science knowledge to pursue whatever
career path they choose.
BlackRock is providing a new two-year $1 million grant to Code.org,
which will principally support free online curriculum development and
teacher training. BlackRock employees will also participate through
volunteer opportunities in Code.org's Hour of Code campaign during
Computer Science Education Week, December 5-11, and through a career
exploration program aimed at inspiring high school students to learn
more about different careers in technology.
Belief in Innovation and Technology Drives Philanthropic Focus
BlackRock’s support for Code.org strongly reflects the firm’s overall
philanthropic focus on “building access to better futures.” (BlackRock
Philanthropy) Shaped by a belief that everyone should have the
opportunity to build for their future and the futures of their children,
BlackRock’s corporate giving strategy applies a rigorous approach and a
commitment to innovation and technology to capitalize on initiatives
that can deliver long-term, measurable results for underserved
individuals and their communities.
In addition to the firm’s enhanced partnership with Code.org, in 2016
BlackRock will host a Summer Immersion Program in partnership with Girls
Who Code, the national nonprofit that is working to close the gender
gap in technology. The 7-week program offers rising 11th and
12th grade girls 300+ hours of intensive instruction in web
development and design, robotics, and mobile development with mentorship
and exposure to top female engineers and entrepreneurs.
About BlackRock
BlackRock is a global leader in investment management, risk management
and advisory services for institutional and retail clients. At March 31,
2016, BlackRock’s AUM was $4.737 trillion. BlackRock helps clients
around the world meet their goals and overcome challenges with a range
of products that include separate accounts, mutual funds, iShares®
(exchange-traded funds), and other pooled investment vehicles. BlackRock
also offers risk management, advisory and enterprise investment system
services to a broad base of institutional investors through BlackRock
Solutions®. As of March 31, 2016, the firm had approximately 13,000
employees in more than 30 countries and a major presence in global
markets, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and
the Middle East and Africa. For additional information, please visit the
Company’s website at www.blackrock.com
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BlackRock
Jessica Greaney, 212-810-5498
Jessica.greaney@blackrock.com
Source: BlackRock