Girls Who Code Founder and Mission
Reshma Saujani founded Girls Who Code in 2012 to close the gender gap in technology by providing computing education to girls in the United States. The organization has reached hundreds of thousands of participants through clubs, summer immersion programs, and college loops, and Saujani remains the public face of the initiative, with her work cited in major business and technology outlets including Forbes.
Girls Who Code has expanded into a national network of campus chapters and employer partnerships, with Saujani emphasizing measurable outcomes such as college major declarations and industry pipeline data. The organization reports that its alumni are majoring in computer science at rates significantly higher than the national average for women, and its programs now operate in all 50 U.S. states, supported by corporate sponsors and philanthropic grants.
Funding, Partnerships, and Corporate Strategy
Girls Who Code has raised more than $100 million from a mix of corporate sponsors, foundations, and individual donors, with Saujani leveraging her political and media profile to secure partnerships with major technology and financial firms. The organization’s corporate partners include companies across banking, software, and cloud services, and Saujani has described the model as a bridge between classroom learning and paid tech internships.
In recent years, Saujani has connected Girls Who Code to large employers that use the organization as a source of early-career technical talent, with some partners integrating alumni into structured hiring and apprenticeship pathways. These corporate relationships are tied to public commitments around workforce diversity, and Saujani has positioned the nonprofit as a talent pipeline that aligns with companies’ internal diversity metrics and reporting requirements.
Impact, Data, and Ongoing Programs
Girls Who Code tracks participant demographics, program completion, and post-graduation education and employment outcomes, with Saujani highlighting data showing strong representation among young women from underrepresented groups in tech. The organization’s research and public reports are used to inform policy discussions on STEM education access, and Saujani has advocated for federal and state funding to scale computer science instruction in public schools.
Saujani continues to lead Girls Who Code while also authoring books and speaking on topics such as bravery, tech equity, and the future of work, with her ideas referenced in business strategy discussions and education policy analyses. The organization remains focused on expanding its clubs and immersion programs, deepening employer partnerships, and using public data to demonstrate return on investment for funders and corporate partners.