Salesforce is committed to investing in future-ready leaders. Today, we are announcing $1.5 million in grants to three organizations focused on supporting pathways for first-generation and low-income students to earn college degrees and attain strong first jobs after graduation.
With COVID-19 disproportionately impacting people from vulnerable communities, the work being done by these organizations is more important than ever and will be key to creating a more inclusive post-pandemic economy.
This investment includes donations of $500,000 each to three organizations:
Braven empowers first-generation and low-income college students with the skills, experiences, confidence, and networks necessary to find a quality, full-time job after graduation. This grant, our second investment in the organization, will support Braven’s first year of operations in New York City and scale its existing programs in the Bay Area, Newark, and Chicago.
COOP‘s mission is to overcome underemployment through digital skills and peer connections. Their flagship program builds a community of underemployed, underrepresented college grads who empower each other with industry specific knowledge and career connections, so that they can access jobs in data, marketing and tech. This grant will support the expansion of their flagship program in NYC and the Bay Area.
uAspire, a college affordability advising nonprofit, will use this grant to support college advising services for students in the Bay Area and New York City, helping to remove the financial barriers to first generation students attending college. The grant will also fund technical expertise and capacity building for other non-profits, universities, and state agencies to make student financial aid more simple, transparent, and equitable at scale in the state of California.
These investments are part of ongoing Future Ready initiatives, reflecting our commitment to supporting programs that aim to break the cycle of poverty and inequality.
