$20 million announcement from Sundar Pichai to bring computer science education to 11 million students

The new investment announced by Sundar Pichai increases Google’s commitment to CS by more than $240 million. CS is a computer science curriculum that makes coding easy to teach and fun to learn.

Google will donate an additional $20 million as part of a long-time support for non-profits. The aim is to expand its computer science education access to 11 million students across the U.S.

As part of the Grow with Google initiative, the funding from Google.org will support nonprofits providing students in rural and urban communities with computer science education tools and training for future technology-focused careers.

Google has been committed to computer science education since 2004, and the new commitment brings its total investments to more than $240 million.

The new commitment includes supporting non-profits like Oakland-based non-profit The Hidden Genius Project. It primarily provides “Black male youth with training and mentoring in technology, entrepreneurship and leadership.” It further comprises graduates with no prior knowledge of computer science education. Not just this project but others tend to receive focus from Google.

“In addition to The Hidden Genius Project, we’ll provide support for local non-profits across the country, with a focus on Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles,” the CEO of Alphabet and Google mentions in the announcement blog post.

The help further expands to some advanced programs as well. These include the Computing Integrated Teacher Education project at the City University of New York. The aim here is to involve CS education in the curriculum for new teachers. The support extends to CodePath in Chicago and Atlanta — “to help students from underrepresented communities work towards tech-based careers.”

Another organization, dubbed 4-H, provides access to CS education for students in rural and under-resourced communities and is also getting support with Google’s new commitment. 4-H.org has introduced 1.4 million students to computer science education since 2019. With further support from Google and its Cooperative Extension programs and resources, the organization can help six million young people, next to more than 3,500 educators.

Lastly, Pichai suggests Google will provide “funding to the Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP) Alliance, a national network coordinated by the Texas Advanced Computing Center at The University of Texas at Austin, which aims to increase participation in CS education through state-level reforms.”

Google firmly believes computer science education plays a crucial role in building a solid foundation for people and their families, irrespective of age and geographical location. And for such people, to get a job or to start a new business, CS education appears to be essential. Pichai believes companies like Google are responsible for introducing CS to help those people pursue bright careers in the near future.