Salesforce grants more to schools
Salesforce is increasing its annual grants to schools to $20 million as the most uncertain educational year in modern history begins amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The tech company, San Francisco’s largest private employer, is giving $9 million to San Francisco Unified School District and $9 million to Oakland Unified School District. It is also giving $500,000 each to Indianapolis, Chicago and New York districts, along with $500,000 to Coura
Oakland students visit Salesforce to learn about 3D printing before the coronavirus pandemic. Salesforce is issuing $20 million in school grants around the country.
geous Conversation Global Foundation to partner with schools to promote racial justice education.
“The pandemic really isn’t under control. We want to do everything we can to help our schools,” said Ebony Beckwith, Salesforce’s chief philanthropy officer.
Private aid is increasingly crucial as San Francisco and other school districts face widening budget deficits due to the pandemic and recession. San Francisco is facing a $7 million deficit in operating expenses for the
current fiscal year, which may increase as the school district continues investing in online learning, said Gentle Blythe, the district’s deputy superintendent of strategic partnerships and communications
Principals will have flexibility in how to spend the money. In San Francisco, the school district is requesting that principals prioritize two goals: Lowering the achievement gap for Black students and helping to meet the district’s Vision 2025 goals, which are guidelines for preparing students for the future, Blythe said.
Previous programs funded by Salesforce include a Black ethnics studies course and additional training for staff.
“Their investment has really made it possible to do some amazing things for our students, including having a comprehensive preK12 computer science program. We’ve been able to train thousands of educators,” Blythe said.
Salesforce is also expanding its Work.com product, which helps governments and companies reopen, for usage by schools. The product helps educators track local data around coronavirus, manage contact tracing and communicate with families. The program costs $15 per user annually.
Salesforce has allocated $118 million to schools to date, including eight years of grants in San Francisco. Last year, it gave $18.2 million to San Francisco and Oakland schools, along with nonprofit partners. Employees also volunteer with students as part of the company’s philanthropy. The company also gave $1.5 million to San Francisco’s coronavirus relief fund in March.
“We really try to go beyond the check. We want to be community partners,” Beckwith said.