What Girls Who Code does

Girls Who Code is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2010 (programming launched 2012) that works to close the gender gap in technology by educating and equipping girls and young women with computing skills. The organization serves students from grade 3 through college and into early career stages through a multi-program architecture: Clubs (grades 3-12), Pathways (high school virtual program), the Summer Immersion Program, College Loops, and ongoing alumni engagement. Cumulatively, the organization has reached approximately 860,000 students since 2012 and built an alumni network of roughly 425,000. All programs are delivered free of charge to participants.

The core product is a proprietary, age-stratified computer science curriculum that has been progressively extended to include AI literacy. In 2025 the AI Foundations curriculum reached 200,000+ students, integrating AI concepts across the Clubs and Pathways programs. Curriculum is delivered through a combination of in-school clubs, virtual instruction, and intensive summer programming, supported by a national network of educators, volunteers, and corporate employee engagement.

Girls Who Code operates a donation- and grant-funded business model. Revenue is generated through contributions from 100+ corporate partners across financial services, technology, and professional services (including Bank of America, IBM, Microsoft Advertising, S&P Global, Morgan Stanley, Deloitte, Accenture, JPMorgan, and Google), foundation grants, and individual donations. Programs are offered free to students; the organization monetizes only through contributed revenue. Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees, with a New York headquarters. Leadership is in transition in 2026, with CEO Dr. Tarika Barrett stepping down and COO Jana Chandler-Ligon promoted to lead the organization, while Tiffany West Polk has been added to the board.

Name

Girls Who Code

Legal name

Girls Who Code Inc.

Website

https://girlswhocode.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Girls Who Code is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free computer science and AI literacy education to girls in grades 3-12, college students, and alumni, reaching 860,000 students cumulatively and supported by 100+ corporate partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEM Education

NAICS

Computer Training (61142), Computer Training (611420), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Coding & Programming Learning Platforms (EDAFANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Introductory Coding (Block-Based & Beginner) (EDAMACAA), Text-Based Programming (Python, Java, C/C++) (EDAMACAB), Game Development (Unity, Unreal, 2D/3D) (EDAMACAE), Coding, Game Design & Computer Science Camps (EDAMALAD)

Keywords

• Coding education programs
• STEM youth education
• Nonprofit technology training
• Computer science curriculum
• Workforce development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Corporate and Foundation Partnerships: Major companies and philanthropic foundations sponsor programs annually. Partners typically provide monetary contributions at various tiers ($1M+, $500K-$999K, $250K-$499K, $150K-$249K, $75K-$149K, $25K-$74K) and many host interactive events and mentorship opportunities for students.
2. Individual Donations: Individual donations through campaigns like 'Write What's Next' crowdfunding campaign launched for Giving Tuesday, enabling supporters to create fundraising pages or donate directly.
3. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting the nonprofit mission to close the gender gap in technology.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Girls Who Code is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free coding and computer science education programs to girls, women, and nonbinary individuals from elementary school through early career. Its portfolio includes the Clubs Program (grades 3-12), Pathways (high school virtual), Summer Immersion Program, College Loops, and the Girls Who Code Girls gaming platform, all focused on AI, cybersecurity, web development, data science, and game design.

Product overview

Girls Who Code is an international nonprofit organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational programs designed to close the gender gap in technology. The organization provides a multi-tiered program structure spanning from elementary school (Clubs for grades 3-12) through high school (Pathways and Summer Immersion Program) to college and early career (College Loops and related programs). Key offerings include the Clubs Program (free after-school coding clubs), Pathways (virtual self-paced learning for high schoolers), Summer Immersion Program (intensive summer coding experience), College Loops (support for college-aged and early career professionals aged 18-25), Girls Who Code Girls (a gaming experience for learning to code), and the GWC Challenge (annual AI and Cybersecurity competition). The Five by Five strategic initiative, launched in February 2025, guides the organization's goal to reach 5 million individuals by 2030. Programs focus on emerging technologies including AI, cybersecurity, data science, web development, and game design.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Girls Who Code Girls: A gaming experience that empowers users to code characters that better reflect them and the diversity of their communities. Users can customize character's body type, skin tone, facial features, hair styles, outfit details and accessories, personality and identity details.
• Summer Immersion Program
• Clubs Program
• Pathways
• College Loops
• Five by Five

Products and services

• Clubs Program Free after-school and weekend coding clubs for students in grades 3-12 (grouped grades 3-5 and 6-12), offering beginner to advanced level learning, 1-2 hours per week during the school year, run through schools and community organizations and led by trained volunteers.
• Pathways Free virtual program for high school students providing flexible self-paced learning from beginner to intermediate levels in coding, AI, cybersecurity, and other emerging technologies, with opportunities to create meaningful tech projects.
• Summer Immersion Program Free in-person and virtual summer coding program for high school students offering hands-on experience in web development, cybersecurity, AI, data science, and game design with mentorship from industry leaders.
• College Loops
• Girls Who Code Girls A self-serve online gaming platform where users code and customize characters to better reflect themselves and the diversity of their communities, including body type, skin tone, facial features, hair styles, outfit details, accessories, and personality/identity details.
• GWC Challenge Annual competition featuring AI and Cybersecurity challenges for middle, high school, and college students to test and showcase their technical skills.

Quantifiable outcome

• 860,000 students served globally since 2012
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Vonage (Part of Ericsson)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026Vonage partnership with Girls Who Code to deliver Pathways-style summer program offering high school students hands-on experience in web development, cybersecurity, AI, data science, and game design. Students gain exposure to real-world tech careers and Vonage's communications APIs, with industry leaders serving as mentors and instructors.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Code.org: The largest U.S. nonprofit promoting computer science education in K-12 schools; directly competes for the same audience of students, schools, and corporate partners and offers a similar free curriculum-and-clubs model.
• AnitaB.org: Nonprofit advancing women in tech through programs like Top Companies for Women Technologists and mentoring — comparable in mission (closing the gender gap in tech) and reliance on corporate partnerships, though more focused on the workforce/retention stage.
• NCWIT (National Center for Women & Information Technology): Nonprofit alliance working to increase women's participation in computing across K–12, higher ed, and industry — overlaps on mission, advocacy, and corporate partner network, but focuses more on research and ecosystem coordination than direct student programs.
• Black Girls CODE: Nonprofit providing coding/tech education to girls of color with workshops, clubs, and summer programs — operates an essentially identical girls-in-tech program model, fundraising mix, and corporate-partner structure to Girls Who Code.
• Technovation: Nonprofit running the Technovation Girls competition and curriculum, focused on girls and underrepresented youth building mobile-app/AI ventures. Highly comparable mission, free programs, and corporate sponsorship model.

Emerging players

• iD Tech: For-profit provider of STEM summer camps and online private lessons including AI, coding, and game design for K–12 — overlaps directly with GWC's Summer Immersion Program and game design curriculum, but charges tuition rather than being free.

Regional players

• Code First Girls: UK- and EMEA-focused nonprofit providing free coding courses to women and nonbinary learners — operates an analogous free-courses-plus-corporate-partner model but serves a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• Khan Academy: Massive free online education platform that has added computer programming and AI content, reaching millions of K–12 learners. Overlaps on free coding curriculum and youth audience, but not specifically focused on the gender gap in tech.
• Codecademy (now part of Skillsoft): Major online coding education platform with courses in Python, web dev, data science, and AI; competes for the same college-aged learner audience as GWC's Pathways/College Loops programs, but is a commercial product.
• Made with Code (Google initiative, archived): Google-led initiative launched in 2014 to inspire girls to code; a comparable girls-in-tech corporate-funded effort that ultimately wound down, illustrating both the model and the sustainability challenges GWC faces.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/girlswhocode
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/GirlsWhoCode
• Facebookfacebook.com/GirlsWhoCode
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3978634
• Instagraminstagram.com/girlswhocode

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds11 records

Investors10 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Girls Who Code