Hacking Education

Ten years ago, a teacher in the Bronx launched DonorsChoose.org. Since then, more than 165,000 teachers at 43,000 public schools have posted over 300,000 classroom project requests, inspiring $80,000,000 in giving from 400,000 donors.

We've opened up that data, and invite you to make discoveries and build apps that improve education in America. Help to shape your school system's budget by revealing what teachers really need. Build the first mobile app for hyper-local education philanthropy. We've got a list of suggestions to help get you thinking. We hope to build a community of developers and data crunchers, so we're launching a contest!

Top Technology Executives Pledge to Aid Nonprofits

[from Chronicle of Philanthropy] March 31, 2011, 11:03 am

Executives from Apple, Google, Twitter, and other leading technology companies are among 100 business leaders who have signed the “Palindrome Pledge,” a commitment to spend a year lending their management expertise to nonprofit groups, Fast Company and The Wall Street Journal report.

The program was started Wednesday by Palindrome Advisors, a new nonprofit group formed by the technology entrepreneur Zaw Thet. He likened the effort to a “Match.com for industry leaders and the boards of nonprofits,” referring to the popular online dating site.

Signers commit to spending a year on the board of a charity chosen by Palindrome Advisors and to meeting regularly with each other to compare notes and brainstorm solutions for problems facing their organizations. Most of the participants are from the technology world, but the roster also includes venture capitalists and executives in energy, hospitality, and other industries.

Gates Foundation supports library technology

The Urban Libraries Council has announced a $2.8 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to spearhead an effort to develop guidelines for high-quality computer and Internet access at public libraries.

Libraries provide critically important free public access to computers and the Internet, but the quality and level of access varies significantly across the country. According to Opportunity for All: How the American Public Benefits from Internet Access at U.S. Libraries (212 pages, PDF), a 2010 study conducted by the University of Washington Information School and the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences, a third of all Americans use public library computers and Internet access to find work, apply for college, secure government benefits, find important health information, and/or connect with their communities.

Led by ULC, a coalition of local library and government leaders will develop a set of benchmarks related to technology access in public libraries that will be piloted in California, Oklahoma, and Texas communities. The benchmarks will then be refined and launched for broad use by the library community in the spring of 2012. While the benchmarks are expected to dovetail with the broader framework for digitally inclusive communities established by IMLS, they will focus exclusively on meaningful, achievable public technology access in libraries.

"As the public institution that provides computer and Internet access to people from all walks of life, libraries must ensure that their technology services continuously advance to enable users to meet twenty-first century opportunities available through technology," said Urban Libraries Council president Susan Benton. "We believe that benchmarks will help local leaders understand the value of public access technology and ensure that those services meet the needs of all community members. Urban Libraries Council is proud to lead and facilitate the work of the benchmarks coalition, which includes outstanding leaders from the library and local government fields."

“National Coalition Will Establish Benchmarks to Support High-Quality Computer and Internet Access at Public Libraries.” Urban Libraries Council Press Release 4/01/11.

Erie Innovation Fund

There’s still time to apply to the Erie Innovation Fund. The purpose of the fund, which is a partnership between the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority and Ben Franklin Technology Partners, is to give Erie’s tech-based entrepreneurs and small manufacturers access to local investment capital.

To date, more than a dozen companies that are involved in new product/process development have inquired about the application process. Screening of the applicants and the subsequent review of the proposals will be based on Ben Franklin’s existing due diligence process. However, a local panel of experts and potential investors is being convened to help evaluate submitted proposals.

Companies that receive funding will also have the opportunity to get business mentoring and support from the Ben Franklin Transformation Business Services Network.

Business owners who are interested in applying for funding, or potential investors who want to participate in the Advisory Board, should contact Ben Franklin’s Erie Office at 898-6650.