Recently, Uber offered a $125K grant to the Black Girls Code, but due to accusations of a "PR stunt," the tech company turned it down. In response to the grant declining, founder Kimberly Bryant confirmed that her decision was "layered."

“I’ve been quite open for some time about the fact that we as an org use Uber as a tool. We’re also headquartered in the city [Oakland] where they have planned to move. So I’ve been open to the notion that they can transform themselves. Yet their past history and ‘political’ nature of maneuvering is and was troubling,” Bryant previously noted.

After news of the snub reverberated via social media waves, the tech community stepped up to crowd fund for Black Girls Code. Tech giants such as Slack Head of Communication Design Kristy Tillman donated $1,000 and many others contributed to the company, resulting in over $154,000 in PayPal donations.

And the money keeps on rollin’! Bryant hasn’t even tallied up the employer-matching numbers! The additional contributions broadly range between $10K to $30K more.

“We are still getting information to folks for matching donations, gifts from donor-advised funds, and even stock transfers,” Bryant told TechCrunch. “So it’s hard to gather a hard number right now on this portion of the funding but this is the range I would estimate.”

Bryant will be using the raised money to further support Black Girls Code’s initiative to diversify the technology industry by facilitating coding workshops, summer camps, and hackathons for young black girls.

As for Uber, its new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is fully aware of the gut rehab that the ride-sharing app company needs. “This company has to change,” Khosrowshahi said at the company’s recent “all-hands” meeting. “What got us is here is not what’s going to get us to the next level.”

Regardless, the grassroots fundraising truly shows that many more people believe in the power of inclusiveness in the tech industry!

Photo: GIPHY

Congrats to Kimberly Bryant and Black Girls Code!

Kimberly Bryant

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