Salesforce.org Donates $8.5 Million to San Francisco and Oakland Public Schools, Partners with Mayors Ed Lee and Libby Schaaf to Improve Computer Science Education

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Salesforce.org, the philanthropic arm of Salesforce CRM, today announced it will donate $8.5 million to public schools in San Francisco and Oakland. The funding is part of the fourth consecutive year of Salesforce.org's partnership with San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and Mayor Ed Lee, as well as a new partnership with Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) and Mayor Libby Schaaf, to improve computer science education. In addition to the funding, Salesforce employees will volunteer 20,000 hours in Bay Area schools during the 2016-2017 school year. Salesforce also plans to adopt 26 schools in San Francisco and Oakland, and an additional 19 others around the world during the 2016-2017 school year.

Comments on the news:

• "We have already seen the impact of Salesforce.org's investment in our school district through improved test scores and a higher level of student engagement," said Mayor Ed Lee. "The continuous support of the Principal's Innovation Fund gives the leaders of our individual schools the power to make decisions based on their students. This partnership between Salesforce.org and SFUSD continues to shape the next generation of San Francisco's leaders, scientists, artists and innovators."
• "I am thrilled to partner with Saleforce.org to offer more opportunities for Oakland students and teachers. As a result of the partnership, the number of students with access to computer science classes, more personalized math instruction, and college and career support will dramatically increase," said Mayor Libby Schaaf. "The partnership will also allow us to expand Future Centers to middle schools as part of the Oakland Promise, our 'cradle to career' initiative with the goal of tripling the number of college graduates from Oakland within a decade."
• "Our partnership with Salesforce has enabled SFUSD to dramatically improve learning opportunities for our students in math and computer science," said Superintendent Richard A. Carranza. "This is what it will take for our students to be able to live, work and thrive in San Francisco."
• "We all want our students to have equitable access to instruction in STEM, and we also know OUSD cannot do it alone," said OUSD Superintendent Antwan Wilson. "Our partnership with Salesforce.org will help us give our students critical instruction in computer science and math, fostering deeper student engagement and better preparing them for success in the workforce of the future."
• "Computer science knowledge has become essential in today's job market, and it's imperative that students gain the technical skills they need to be successful in the future," said Ebony Frelix, SVP of Philanthropy and Engagement at Salesforce. "It's been incredible to see the growth of computer science programs in San Francisco through our work with SFUSD and Mayor Lee, and we're excited to extend our partnership to Oakland and Mayor Schaaf."

Building on a Successful Foundation with San Francisco's Schools and Students
As part of its multi-year partnership with SFUSD and Mayor Lee,Salesforce.org will donate $6 million to San Francisco schools in the 2016-2017 school year to:

• Continue the Principal's Innovation Fund—granting $100,000 to principals at all 21 middle grade schools in SFUSD to use as they wish, based on the schools' needs
• Hire 10 additional math teachers and coaches and expand computer science instruction in all middle grade schools
• Provide assistive technology for special education students through SFUSD's Assistive Technology Innovation Center (ATIC)

Through the partnership, SFUSD became the first school district nationwide to establish a computer science curriculum for all grades. The district has been able to hire 19 full-time coaches and teachers for math and technology instruction, reducing class sizes for eighth grade math from an average of 33 to 24 students per class. Eighth grade students benefiting from reduced class sizes increased their grade point averages from 2.85 in the 2014-2015 school year to 3.05 in the 2015-2016 school year.

New Partnership with OUSD to Expand Computer Science
Salesforce.org is also announcing a partnership with OUSD, donating $2.5 million to improve computer science education in the district. The funding will be used to:

• Pilot the Principal's Innovation Fund at six middle schools in OUSD
• Increase STEM programming to develop robust career pathways and increase the number of African-American and Latinos in STEM fields
• Provide increased support for teaching mathematics
• Launch Future Centers to expand students' college and career awareness through campus events, college tours, college and career fairs and job shadowing opportunities

Salesforce Circles 45 Schools Globally
In 2015, Salesforce partnered with sf.citi and Circle the Schools to adopt 20 schools in San Francisco. Since then, more than 1,200 Salesforce employees have dedicated thousands of volunteer hours across 20 San Francisco school campuses. This year, with the help of sf.citi, Salesforce will expand Circle the Schools internationally and plans to adopt 20 in San Francisco, six in Oakland, and an additional 19 schools around the world. Each school will be matched with a Salesforce executive and a team of employees who will participate in volunteer activities throughout the year.

About Salesforce.org
Salesforce.org is based on a simple idea: leverage Salesforce's technology, people and resources to improve communities around the world. We call this integrated philanthropic approach the 1-1-1 model. Since 1999, Salesforce technology has powered more than 29,000 nonprofit and education institutions; Salesforce and its philanthropic entities have provided more than $128 million in grants; and Salesforce employees have logged more than 1.6 million volunteer hours throughout the world. For more information on Salesforce.org, please visit www.salesforce.org.

Salesforce, Salesforce.org and others are among the trademarks of salesforce.com, inc. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

About Circle the Schools
Circle the Schools is an initiative created by sf.citi in partnership with SFUSD and the San Francisco Education Fund, allowing local companies to adopt schools and develop relationships with Principals. Employees engage in volunteer activities planned around literacy at the Elementary School level, STEM in middle schools, and college and career readiness for high school students. The goal is to have all 100 eligible schools Circled and use this initiative to amplify the School District's Vision 2025 plan.

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SOURCE Salesforce.org