Scratch Foundation
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| Scratch Foundation | |
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| Name | Scratch Foundation |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Focus | Creative computing, youth learning, software development |
| Founder | Mitch Resnick, Brian Silverman, Naomi R. Wilensky |
| Parent organization | Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab |
Scratch Foundation The Scratch Foundation is a nonprofit organization established to support the development, maintenance, and global dissemination of the Scratch programming environment and community. It operates alongside academic and research institutions to sustain the open-source Scratch project, the online Scratch community, and curricular resources used by youth, educators, and informal learning organizations worldwide. The foundation coordinates grants, partnerships, and technical infrastructure while engaging with policy, philanthropic, and cultural institutions to expand access to creative computing.
History
The foundation traces roots to initiatives at the MIT Media Lab, including the Lifelong Kindergarten research group led by Mitch Resnick, and collaborations with early contributors from Microsoft Research and the Boston Museum of Science. Early pilots of block-based programming were influenced by research on LOGO and projects at Carnegie Mellon University, which led to prototypes that evolved into the Scratch editor. After public beta launches and adoption in schools across the United States, the organization formalized into a foundation to steward the project’s server infrastructure and community governance as usage expanded internationally. Major milestones include releases that paralleled standards discussions at organizations such as the International Society for Technology in Education and curriculum adoptions referenced in reports by the National Science Foundation.
Mission and Programs
The foundation’s mission emphasizes creative learning and equitable access to expressive technology for children and adolescents. Programs include maintaining the Scratch website and editor, funding curriculum development used in classrooms like those influenced by High Tech High and Khan Academy educational approaches, and offering professional development reminiscent of workshops by the Computer History Museum and educator networks like the National Writing Project. Supplementary initiatives support translation and localization efforts coordinated with cultural institutions such as the British Council and regional education ministries, and the foundation sponsors research collaborations with universities including University of California, Berkeley and Harvard Graduate School of Education to study learning outcomes and digital literacy. Incubation programs for creative computing tools draw on partnerships with open-source communities including the Apache Software Foundation and standards bodies like the World Wide Web Consortium.
Governance and Funding
The organization is governed by a board comprised of technologists, educators, and philanthropists with experience at entities such as Adobe Systems, Google, Facebook, and humanities institutions like the Smithsonian Institution. Executive leadership historically aligns with staff from the MIT Media Lab and professionals with nonprofit backgrounds similar to leaders from Mozilla Foundation and Wikimedia Foundation. Funding sources combine philanthropic grants from foundations including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation as well as corporate sponsorships from technology firms such as Intel Corporation and Amazon.com. The foundation practices transparency in fiscal reporting and collaborates with auditors and nonprofit compliance organizations like GuideStar and the Council on Foundations to align with donor regulations and charitable law.
Partnerships and Collaborions
Strategic partnerships span educational institutions, cultural organizations, and technology companies. Collaborations with the Computer Science Teachers Association and regional education departments have produced teacher-training modules and curricular frameworks. Cultural partnerships include projects with the Museum of Modern Art and the New York Public Library to embed creative computing into exhibits and youth programs. Technology collaborations have involved runtime and hosting partnerships with providers such as Google Cloud Platform and content integration pilots with platforms like YouTube and SoundCloud. Research partnerships with universities including Stanford University and University of Washington have produced peer-reviewed studies and conference presentations at venues such as CHI and Learning@Scale. International affiliates work with ministries and nonprofits such as UNICEF and OECD initiatives to inform policy and scale programs across regions like Europe, Latin America, and Asia.
Impact and Outreach
Scratch Foundation’s work has influenced millions of users on the Scratch website and in classroom deployments referenced by educational studies and casework in journals associated with IEEE and the American Educational Research Association. Outcomes reported in collaborations with institutions such as SRI International include increases in creative expression, project sharing, and computational thinking practices among youth. Outreach programs have expanded access in underserved communities through community partnerships with organizations like Boys & Girls Clubs of America and nonprofit networks such as Code.org and Girls Who Code. The foundation convenes community events, showcases at conferences like SXSWedu and ISTE, and supports global user-led meetups inspired by maker spaces and hackerspaces including the Fab Lab Network. Its open-source stewardship has influenced subsequent block-based environments and educational platforms developed by companies and research labs across the technology and academic sectors.