Coded By Kids announced lead partners Bank of America, Comcast NBCUniversal and the Lenfest Foundation have invested nearly $1 million to launch the OnE Philadelphia (Opportunity and Equity for Philadelphia) initiative.
This provides the foundation needed for Coded By Kids to begin to address diversity and inclusion in tech and innovation. The initiative will provide long term solutions that are designed to deliver high-quality, sustainable career opportunities for communities of color in Philadelphia.
Coded By Kids is a nonprofit organization that provides young people with development, digital design, computer science, and tech startup–focused education programs. OnE Philadelphia, their new initiative, addresses the city’s focus on short-term solutions to systemic racial inequity. By implementing a citywide tech education effort, OnE Philadelphia’s mission is to transform the city into a pipeline for high-level tech talent and tech startup leaders.
OnE Philadelphia’s mission
The initiative is driven by three main strategies: creating an integrated tech education, skill development, and experiential learning ecosystem. It targets high-growth opportunity careers; building the infrastructure needed to support an integrated ecosystem. Additionally, it changes the way underrepresented Philadelphians look at tech and innovation in order to change the culture of the city.
“At the heart of my work as founder and CEO of Coded By Kids is my commitment to building one Philadelphia,” said Sylvester Mobley, founder and CEO, Coded By Kids. “This outpouring of support we’ve received from Bank of America, Comcast, and The Lenfest Foundation demonstrates the value this pipeline will add to the city. It acknowledges the collaborative effort it will take to make equity and inclusion a priority in the tech and entrepreneurship fields.”
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Bank of America is committed to addressing issues that are fundamentally connected to economic mobility, like access to workforce development opportunities and to build more sustainable communities. As part of the bank’s $1 billion, four-year commitment, $10 million was allocated to providing Economic Resiliency Grants to local organizations working to advance racial equality and economic opportunity for communities of color, including Coded By Kids.
To advance racial equality
“Our support of OnE Philadelphia is rooted in our commitment to meaningful solutions to advance racial equality and economic mobility in low- to moderate-income populations and communities of color,” said Jim Dever, Greater Philadelphia market president for Bank of America.
Comcast has long been committed to addressing digital inequities so that all Americans have the opportunity to succeed in an increasingly digital world. Its investment in OnE Philadelphia is part of the company’s multi-year $100 million commitment to fight injustice and inequality and its mission to create a more connected and equitable society.
“Now more than ever, we need to ensure all of Philadelphia’s residents have the opportunity to thrive in the digital economy,” said Dalila Wilson-Scott, Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at Comcast.
The Lenfest Foundation is committed to finding solutions for life-changing impact in Philadelphia for years to come through strategic investment and fostering collaboration. “The Lenfest Foundation is committed to identifying and investing in initiatives, like OnE Philadelphia, that aim to find solutions that have a life-changing impact for generations to come,” said Dr. Keith Leaphart, board chair, the Lenfest Foundation.
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