Three grants. Seventy-five thousand dollars each. And a clear signal from one of the most influential philanthropic organizations in tech: the future of technology won’t be equitable unless opportunity starts early—and reaches the communities that have long been left out.
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) announced its support for AI4ALL, Hack Diversity, and The Hidden Genius Project, three organizations working at the intersection of education, access, and technology for underserved youth. Each will receive a $75,000 grant to expand programming and deepen impact this year, as part of CZI’s broader mission to dismantle systemic inequality and champion equal opportunity.
This isn’t about charity. It’s about rebuilding pipelines.
Why CZI is investing upstream
The diversity gap in tech doesn’t begin at hiring. It starts years earlier—in classrooms without computer science courses, in neighborhoods without access to mentors, and in systems that quietly signal who does and doesn’t belong in technology.
CZI has been explicit about its goal: amplify opportunity for historically overlooked populations and increase diversity and inclusion across the tech ecosystem. That approach aligns with growing evidence from the U.S. Department of Labor showing that long-term workforce equity depends on early exposure, skill-building, and sustained support—not last-minute recruitment fixes (https://www.dol.gov).
By backing organizations that work with students before college and early in career formation, CZI is targeting the root of the problem rather than its symptoms.
AI4ALL: opening the AI door before it closes
Based in Oakland, AI4ALL focuses on one of the most powerful—and least understood—forces shaping the future of work: artificial intelligence.
The nonprofit opens doors to AI for underrepresented students through education and mentorship, helping them learn core AI concepts and apply them to real-world problems in ethical, socially conscious ways. The emphasis isn’t just on skills—it’s on responsibility.
AI4ALL primarily serves girls and African-American and Latino students, working in partnership with companies that employ large tech workforces, other nonprofits, and 10 top-tier universities across North America.
Their theory of change is holistic: activate students, educators, industry, and institutions at once to drive real systems change.
AI4ALL’s 2019 targets include:
- Serving 250+ high school students through in-person summer programs
- Launching AI4ALL Open Learning, a free, project-based AI curriculum for high schoolers
In a world where algorithms increasingly influence hiring, healthcare, and criminal justice, AI literacy isn’t optional. It’s power.
You can learn more about AI4ALL’s work at https://ai-4-all.org.
Hack Diversity: rebuilding Boston’s innovation pipeline
While many tech diversity efforts focus on elite universities, Hack Diversity deliberately looks elsewhere.
The Boston-based nonprofit tackles the underrepresentation of high-skilled minority talent in New England’s innovation economy by recruiting high-achieving African-American and Latino STEM students from community colleges, bootcamps, and other overlooked pipelines.
What makes Hack Diversity distinct is its dual-focus model. The organization supports both sides of the equation:
- Fellows, through career coaching, mentorship, and professional development
- Employers, through training and consulting on inclusive workplace practices
The program runs over eight months, blending one-on-one sessions, workshops, webinars, and tech-enabled engagement. The message is clear: placing talent without changing environments doesn’t work.
How the CZI grant will be used:
- Scaling program elements to meet growth targets
- Testing expanded technical training and exposure for software engineering–focused Fellows
Hack Diversity aims to identify 50 high-achieving, high-skilled minority students and professionals for its 2019 cohort, with the goal of full-time employment in STEM roles after completion.
The organization’s work mirrors broader federal priorities around equitable workforce development and inclusive hiring, long emphasized by agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (https://www.eeoc.gov).
More on Hack Diversity’s mission can be found at https://hackdiversity.com.
The Hidden Genius Project: tech, leadership, and identity
Where AI4ALL focuses on literacy and Hack Diversity on career launch, The Hidden Genius Project takes a deeply holistic approach.
The organization trains and mentors Black male youth in technology creation, entrepreneurship, and leadership, with the explicit goal of transforming both individual lives and entire communities.
It’s not just about learning to code. It’s about building confidence, agency, and a sense of purpose—qualities that research consistently shows are critical for long-term success.
CZI funding will support The Hidden Genius Project’s expansion beyond the Bay Area, allowing the model to reach more communities nationally.
The organization’s 2019 milestones include:
- Serving 1,000+ youth across programs
- 95% retention rate
- 95% high school graduation rate
- 90% post-secondary enrollment
Those numbers matter. They reflect not just participation, but sustained engagement and real-life outcomes.
Learn more at https://www.hiddengeniusproject.org.
“The strongest teams uplift many voices”
CZI’s reasoning for this investment was summed up by Maurice Wilkins, who leads Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the organization.
“Hack Diversity, AI4ALL, and The Hidden Genius Project are creating exciting new avenues of access and opportunity in the technology field for historically underrepresented youth,” Wilkins said. “We believe that the strongest teams incorporate and uplift a wide range of voices.”
That belief is increasingly echoed across industry and academia. Research from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has consistently linked diversity to stronger problem-solving, innovation, and organizational performance.
Equity isn’t separate from excellence. It fuels it.
About the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Founded in 2015 by Dr. Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative operates across three core focus areas: Science, Education, and Justice & Opportunity.
CZI blends grant-making with engineering, impact investing, policy, and advocacy to tackle large-scale challenges—from disease eradication to education reform to criminal justice transformation. The throughline is inclusion.
By investing in organizations that expand access to technology education and careers, CZI is betting on a future where innovation is built by teams that actually reflect the world they serve.
More information about CZI’s work is available at https://chanzuckerberg.com.
The bigger picture
These grants won’t solve tech’s diversity problem overnight. But they do something arguably more important: they reinforce the idea that equity work belongs at the center of technological progress, not on its margins.
When underrepresented youth gain early access to skills, mentorship, and networks—and when employers and institutions meet them halfway—the pipeline stops leaking.
And that’s how change becomes durable.
FAQs
1 How much funding did each organization receive from CZI?
Each organization received a $75,000 grant.
2 What types of youth do these programs serve?
Primarily underrepresented groups, including Black, Latino, and other historically marginalized students.
3 Does Hack Diversity work with employers as well as students?
Yes. Hack Diversity supports both Fellows and employers to drive sustainable inclusion.
4 Is AI4ALL focused only on coding skills?
No. AI4ALL emphasizes AI fundamentals, ethics, and real-world applications, not just programming.
5 Why is early exposure to tech so important?
Because access gaps begin in K–12 education and compound over time, limiting who enters tech careers.
