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The Scratch Foundation, formerly the Code-to-Learn Foundation, is a nonprofit organization that collects funds to develop Scratch and its subprojects.
Mission
| “ | We support approaches to coding that engage young people in thinking creatively, reasoning systematically, and working collaboratively -- essential skills for everyone in today's society. | ” |
– The Scratch Foundation[1] | ||
| “ | We focus on Scratch, the block-based programming language and online community developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. Scratch makes it easy for young people to create their own interactive media projects -- like games, animations, and simulations -- and then share their creations with others in an active, online community.
Scratch is available for free, for everyone. And that's why the Scratch Foundation is so important. Through gifts from individuals, corporations, and foundations, we raise funds to support the entire Scratch ecosystem, including development of new technologies, organization of events, and dissemination of learning resources. The Scratch Foundation's fundraising efforts will ensure that Scratch will continue to thrive as a creative tool and community for everyone, for years to come. |
” |
– The Scratch Foundation[1] | ||
About
The Scratch Foundation supports online communities and in-person events in the Scratch ecosystem, where people celebrate creativity, collaborate on projects, and share ideas with one another.
They provide funding to make Scratch and ScratchJr available on more platforms, such as mobile and tablet devices, with more features, and for broader audiences.
They develop and disseminate materials that help young people and educators engage in creative learning activities using the Scratch coding environment.
History
The foundation was founded in 2013 as the Code-to-Learn Foundation by Mitchel Resnick, Professor of Learning Research at the MIT Media Lab, and David Siegel, Co-Founder, and Co-Chairman of the investment management firm Two Sigma. Resnik and Siegel first met as graduate students in computer science at MIT in the 1980s and reconnected 25 years later when Siegel's son learned to program with Scratch, developed by Resnik's research group at the MIT Media Lab.[2]
In 2015, they changed their name to the Scratch Foundation to reflect their specific focus on Scratch and its dynamic ecosystem of interacting projects (Scratch, ScratchJr, ScratchEd) and events (Scratch Day, Scratch Conference, Scratch Educator Meetups). Scratch is available for free, for everyone, and that’s why the Scratch Foundation is so important. Through gifts from private individuals, corporations, and foundations, they raise funds to support the entire Scratch ecosystem.
Members of the Foundation[2]
Leadership Team
- Elaine Atherton — Head of Programs
- Carlos Diaz Barriga — Director of Marketing and Communications
- Mark Ferrell — Director of Online Community Operations
- Dr. Margaret Honey — President and CEO
- Dr. Maria Janelli — Chief of Staff and Director of Research
Board Members
- Mitchel Resnick — (Board Chair) Professor of Learning Research, MIT Media Lab
- David Siegel — (Board Co-Chair) Co-Founder and Co-Chairman, Two Sigma
- Ursula Burns — (Board Member) Former Chair and CEO of Xerox\
- Christina Miller — (Board Member) Former President and General Manager of Cartoon Network
