Coding it Forward
 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's notability guidelines for companies and organizations. (August 2018) |
| Founded | January 2017 |
|---|---|
| Founders | Athena Kan, Chris Kuang, Rachel Dodell, and Neel Mehta |
| Registration no. | 82-1825067 |
| Focus | empowering computer science, data science, and design students to create social good by breaking down the barriers to entry in social impact spaces[1] |
| Headquarters | Cambridge, MA |
| Website | codingitforward.com |
Coding it Forward is an American 501c3 non-profit organization building a talent pipeline into civic tech, primarily through creating and marketing data science and technology internships in United States federal government agencies for undergraduate and graduate students at colleges and universities across the United States.[2]
History
Several Harvard University students were inspired by former Chief Technology Officer of the United States Megan Smith's appeal for technologists to work in public service at the annual Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. They started a blog highlighting how students were contributing to civic tech which quickly grew to 800 members within two months. Two of the students took a course with the former Deputy Chief Technology Officer of the United States Nick Sinai where they had the opportunity to work on tech projects in government. That experience led to the idea of organizing tech focused student internships in government.[3]
Civic Digital Fellowship
The primary program of Coding it Forward is their Civic Digital Fellowship, a competitive 10-week data science and technology internship program for undergraduate and graduate students in United States federal agencies. To date, they have received more than 1,100 applications from students from more than 175 colleges and universities for 50 fellowship positions.[4].
Growth
| Year | Fellows | Applications | Agencies | Agency Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 14 | 226 | 1 | Census[5] |
| 2018 | 36 | ~900[6] | 6 | Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, State, Census, International Trade Administration and GSA[7] |
Recognition
Co-founders Athena Kan and Chris Kuang were selected to give the closing keynote at the 2018 Code for America Summit in Oakland, CA, in front of an audience of 1,200 civic technologists (Video of Keynote).[8]
Funders
The organization has attracted support from philanthropic sources such as the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative[9], the Knight Foundation, and the Shuttleworth Foundation.[10]
References
- ^ "About". Coding it Forward. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
- ^ Chappellet-Lanier, Tajha (19 December 2017). "The Civic Digital Fellowship is coming back much bigger than before". fedscoop. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
- ^ Kelman, Steve. "Students recruiting students into federal tech". FCW. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ^ Chappellet-Lanier, Tajha (1 August 2017). "Demand for the first edition of Coding it Forward's Civic Digital Fellowship surprises even the founders". fedscoop. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ^ Cabrera, Marquis (12 July 2017). "Harvard Students Partner With U.S. Government to Address Digital Skills Gaps". Huffington Post. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ^ Chappellet-Lanier, Tajha (3 July 2018). "Here's what year two of Coding it Forward's Civic Digital Fellowship looks like". fedscoop. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
- ^ Gunter, Chase (10 August 2018). "Civic Digital Fellows showcase a second year's work in Washington". FCW. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ^ "2018 Summit Agenda". Code for America. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
- ^ "Coding it Forward builds civic tech talent pipeline, with support from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative". Chan Zuckerberg Initative. 23 July 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
- ^ "Homepage". Coding it Forward. Retrieved 30 August 2018.