Backed by $250K, Coded by Kids will reach 120 kids per week at two rec centers

A three-year, $250,000 “funding commitment” from the Kopelman Foundation — cofounded by First Round Capital founder Josh Kopelman —will let Coded by Kids, the West Philly-based nonprofit working on tech education for underrepresented groups in tech, expand its coding education programs at two Philly rec centers.

Chief Marketing Officer Danae Mobley told Technical.ly the funding from the Kopelman Foundation will let Coded By Kids get its CommonSpace program at Marian Anderson Rec Center to “full capacity,” and bring one more rec center up and running in 2019. All told, 120 kids will have access education.

The $250,000 is not an investment, Mobley said, but rather a three-year funding commitment, which will allow Coded by Kids to expand the number of Philadelphia youth the organization teaches through CommonSpace.

“Increasing diversity in tech is one of the most important things we can do to ensure an inclusive and equitable society,” said in an emailed statement Sylvester Mobley, the Iraq war veteran who founded the organization in 2014. “The work we do to accomplish that wouldn’t be possible without people like Josh Kopelman.”

Last month, Coded by Kids launched an initiative called Draft Studios, aimed at giving students graduating from its program a chance to work on real world projects, getting some experience as developers while earning income.

“We are thrilled to support Coded By Kids in their mission to develop the next generation of diverse technology leaders,” Kopelman said. “We hope that this grant helps start careers in the tech industry for thousands of children in Philadelphia.”