Many of us in tech, esp. founders, see our work as contributing to the broader good, or working towards future positive impact. I know I feel that way about the company I own, which is just turning 6. (Bootstrapped, 8 FTE! Yay.)
But it's also important to support nonprofits that directly, single-mindedly confront problems that face humanity, now. I'm giving ~10% of my pre-tax income to the these ones; I share them in hopes that others will be inspired to give. I'm also curious about what orgs other HN-ers like.
And happy new year!
FFmpeg Outreachly intern program: ffmpeg.org | I love FFmpeg. This program (formerly Outreach Program for Women) funded several interns who did good work.
Electronic Frontier Foundation: www.eff.org | No intro req'd here.
Partners in Health: pih.org | Perhaps the most effective global health org.
Civil Rights Corps: www.civilrightscorps.org | Swashbuckling lawyers fight money bail, debtors prisons & police militarization.
Wikimedia Foundation: wikimediafoundation.org | Also no intro req'd.
The Literacy Lab: theliteracylab.org | Evidence-based pgm building literacy in low-income kids early, when it has max impact.
Byte Back: byteback.org | IT training for low-income DC folks. Gets people trained, certified & in good jobs. 70% of students are unemployed when they start; >20% are homeless.
Equal Justice Initiative: eji.org | Fights death penalty, mass incarceration & more. Also spotlights the history of US racial terror, building a national lynching memorial and memorials at former slave trade sites.
DEEP Center: deepkids.com | Creative writing classes in Savannah, GA public schools, which otherwise aren’t available.
Internet Archive: archive.org | Essential.
African Education Program: africaneducationprogram.org | Laser-focused on youth in Kafue, Zambia w/community center, PC lab & scholarships. Their kids far outperform the norm.