Hackers Take Note: The No Starch Press Foundation Has Launched To Fund STEM Initiatives, Contests, And More
This public nonprofit is formed to give back to and strengthen the hacking community. The founder, Bill Pollock, through his initial $800,000 seed donation, and No Starch Press Inc. have been closely involved with the global hacking community since 1999.
We are growing through the generous support of our global communities, individuals, and corporate donors. Ongoing funding is used to continue to strengthen and expand our global hacking communities. We endeavor to educate the public about “hacking,” and work to create safe and central places for the elite engineering community.
Planned Activities
This Foundation was built to support people with a hacking mindset who have yet to find a supportive community of hackers. Hackers attend conferences to meet other people in the community, find social support, share their research, and to improve their understanding of complex technical topics. Hackers may also be found at one of well over 2000 hackerspaces, many independently run and others cropping up in schools and libraries across the world.
The No Starch Press Foundation will:
- Offer financial support to STEM initiatives such as robotics clubs and research projects, and to promising software or product development projects conducted by public charity nonprofit corporations.
- Support contests, scholarships, educational programs and will work to connect hackers with recognized leaders and experts who can help them to further their knowledge and interests.
- Sponsor educational presentations and resources geared towards technical people learning about hacking and to help introduce the public to the hacking community.
- Support the young hacker. Offer financial support to allow young hackers to pursue their education goals. These hackers often lack the support and understanding of family and friends.
Support for STEM Initiatives
One of the Foundation’s goals is to build the hacker community by supporting STEM education in poorer neighborhoods through programs designed to interest grade school children in electronics, robotics, and similar activities.
Educational Presentations and Resources
The Foundation will sponsor presentations, talks, and other learning resources at hackerspaces and maker spaces. The Foundation will work to help self-taught hackers land their first real tech jobs, develop a career, and establish themselves in the hacking community.
Support for Contests, Scholarships, and Other Programs
The Foundation will support contests that challenge hackers to solve many of the world’s problems, particularly programs and contests being run by other organizations to advance the involvement of middle schoolers interested in entering STEM fields.
Support for Young Hackers
Support for young hackers will include the financial support of educational events and meetups including social, educational, and emotionally oriented meetups designed to address depression and suicide in the hacker community, often brought on by isolation and misunderstanding of the aims and interests of a hacker, as well as supporting the initiatives of other nonprofit corporations.
The Foundation will support these activities through donations from the general public, corporate grants, and funding from other public charities. The Foundation has already generated substantial interest from a number of prominent individuals in the hacking community who wish to donate, volunteer on the Board, and help support it’s mission.
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