Silicon Slopes Computer Science Fund

The Need and Opportunity

• Utah currently has 5,073 open computing jobs (Code.org, 2020)
• Only 66% of public high schools in Utah teach computer science (Code.org, 2020)
• Only 567 AP Computer Science exams were taken by Utah high school students in 2019, out of a total of 45,542 AP exams statewide. Only 22% of those students were female (Code.org, 2020; CollegeBoard, 2019)
• Research shows that learning computer science directly correlates with better test scores in math, reading, and science
• 93% of parents want their child to study computer science (Code.org, 2020)
• The average salary of a computing occupation in Utah is $85,899 (Code.org, 2020)

Progress to Date

While there remains a serious gap in computer science learning opportunities in Utah schools, over the past six years significant progress has been made through the persistence, vision and actions of industry leaders, elected officials, educators, academics  and nonprofits. The timeline below highlights some of the important milestones around this issue.* With the launch of the Silicon Slopes Computer Science Fund, and a significant commitment of State funding, Utah will continue this forward momentum to close the opportunity gap and lead the nation in K-12 computer science learning.

This issue is complex and this progress has required the collaboration of numerous stakeholders with a willingness to coalesce around a shared vision. Now, this shared vision has pooled, coordinated funding to support its realization.

2013

• National Science Foundation provides access to 150 Utah teachers to participate in the Exploring Computer Science course.

2016

• Utah Legislature allocates $400,000 for the Exploring Computer Science Initiative through the State of Office of Education.
• Utah partners with Code.org to provide free professional development teachers in AP Computer Science Principles and other computer science courses.

2017

• Utah Legislature passes SB 190, appropriating $1.25 million in ongoing funding for the Computing Partnerships Grants program, starting in FY 2018.

2018

• Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP) conducts statewide landscape report.
• Governor Herbert, with support of the Silicon Slopes community, establishes the vision of providing access to computer science education to every K-12 student in Utah by 2022.
• The Utah State Board of Education adopts K-12 computer science standards and creates a Computer Science Task Force, which submitted recommendations for expanding computer science.
• The State begins development of a statewide strategic master plan to achieve the vision of access to computer science education to all students by 2022.

2019

• The leaders of Silicon Slopes commit $4 million to support the State Computer Science Master Plan and launch a Field of Interest Fund at the Community Foundation of Utah to allow private stakeholders across the state to collectively contribute financial resources to this issue.
• Utah Legislature passes the Computer Science Grant Act, allocating $3.15 million to support teacher professional development in the field of computer science.

2020

• At the Silicon Slopes Tech Summit, tech and government leaders highlighted the importance of computer science education. Over 24,000 attendees were invited to donate to the Silicon Slopes Computer Science Fund.
• The Community Foundation of Utah made the first grant of $200,000 from the Fund to the Computer Science Teachers Association to plan, develop, and launch equity-focused professional development for Utah computer science teachers.
• College Board is awarded the second grant from the Silicon Slopes Computer Science Fund, which will cover up to $10,000 in qualified AP exam fees. This funding will be used to support qualified low-income public school students by covering the fees associated with taking exams for AP Computer Science A and/or AP Computer Science Principles.

2021

• Playworks Utah is awarded a multi-year grant totaling $300,000 from the the Silicon Slopes Computer Science Fund to lead out lead out and leverage empirically supported work in Utah schools, with an emphasis on social and emotional learning to provide much needed workload relief and digital support resources to students and teachers.
• International Rescue Committee Utah is awarded a $10,000 grant from the Silicon Slopes Computer Science Fund to conduct a needs assessment among refugee youth with the goal of developing a Tech Squad IT Support model. The program vision will support refugee youth with tech skills development and career readiness training while simultaneously providing income opportunities and supporting local companies with their IT help desk needs.

*There is much more that has been done for computer science education than this timeline can capture, including the critical work of numerous task forces, grant programs and community stakeholders.

The Goal

Governor Herbert and stakeholders across the public and private sectors have a shared vision that every student, in every grade, in every school has the opportunity to learn computer science by 2022. The state is addressing this issue by building a State Computer Science Master Plan, charting a path to that goal that includes allocating resources to support teacher professional development. The Utah State Board of Education is also enhancing its strategy around computer science and is collaborating closely with state leaders and stakeholders across the public and private.

Due to the complex nature of this issue and the depth of need, community support through the Community Foundation of Utah is critical to provide holistic, enduring and equitable outcomes. The Silicon Slopes Computer Science Fund's focus will complement existing funding streams, reduce fragmentation and duplication of funding, and deepen impact in alignment with Utah's State Computer Science Master Plan around computer science.

Why Should You Invest?

• Leverage your donation. Pooled funding enables you to invest in a validated and needs-based strategy with like-minded community members, maximizing the impact of your dollars to create change around an issue you care about.
• Stay ahead of the curve. You can rest assured that the Community Foundation of Utah will thoughtfully guide funding, with an advisory committee of subject matter experts, to provide the right resources at the right time.
• Invest in long-term impact. The Community Foundation of Utah invests the fund balance to grow your gift and employs an annual giving strategy so that the fund is optimized for long-term sustainability.
• Reduce fragmentation of funding. Our giving strategy fills gaps in funding where state and federal resources can’t reach, enabling a more holistic cross-sector funding model.
• Ensure equitable distribution. Your donation will allow all students, regardless of their socioeconomic status, gender, or location in Utah, to have equal opportunities to learn and for teachers to have the resources they need to be computer science educators.
• Outsource your company’s philanthropy. Let a trusted steward, with an evidence-based strategy, facilitate giving to a cause that is meaningful to your organization. Employees from your company can contribute a variety of assets, including private stock, into this philanthropic vehicle.

The Silicon Slopes Computer Science Fund is designed to complement existing work that is being implemented by various stakeholders including the state, with an emphasis on investments that are replicable, innovative, and scalable.

The following are examples of the types of initiatives and investments that the Silicon Slopes Computer Science Fund may support:

• Innovation grants to support classrooms, educators, and nonprofits driving outstanding computer science learning outcomes through replicable models
• Grants to enable teachers to receive computer science endorsements and teach computer science in their classrooms
• Grants focused on nonprofit organizations providing specialized programming and interventions designed to increase diversity in technology

How Does It Work?

Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization (Tax ID: 74-3211770) and all funds remain the sole property of the Community Foundation of Utah, which has exclusive legal control over the contributed assets.

Fund Governance

Community Leadership Council

The Community Leadership Council will be comprised of designated community stakeholders who provide strategic guidance to the Silicon Slopes Computer Science Fund.  Council members will be both ambassadors of the Fund and champions of computer science education throughout our State. The Council will meet quarterly to receive updates, review Fund needs, and provide community-based leadership to the members of the Operating Committee.

Operating Committee

The Operating Committee is the grantmaking arm of the Silicon Slopes Computer Science Fund. Committee members will meet monthly to determine the grant priorities, prepare Requests for Proposals, and review applications for funding. The Committee is responsible for recommending grant distributions and ensuring the collection and analysis of impact data from funded projects.

Seed Donors

The Silicon Slopes Computer Science Education Fund was established by generous contributions from the following seed donors: