BlackRock Joins Call for US Congress to Fund Broader Access to Computer Science Education Nationwide
26 April 2016 - 10:30PM
Business Wire
Firm Commits to Support of Code.org, Leading
Tech Nonprofit, With New $1 Million Grant
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 | BlackRock Engineering
Blog: rockthecode.io Twitter: @rockthecode.io | Blog: Twitter:
@blackrock_news | Blog: www.blackrockblog.com | LinkedIn:
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160426006046/en/
BlackRockJessica Greaney,
212-810-5498Jessica.greaney@blackrock.com
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