Tech moguls are not giving back to the city that’s given them plenty — that’s part of the narrative about the new rich in San Francisco.
For example, as SF Weekly points out, Hardly Strictly was funded by the late investment banker Warren Hellman — even after his death — whereas Larry Ellison’s America’s could still prove costly for taxpayers.
Software giant Salesforce, and the Mayor’s office are trying to change that narrative by announcing a $2.7 million gift to San Francisco’s 12 middle schools. The money will go towards new iPads for the schools as well as a $100,000 innovation grant for each school.
Salesforce founder, Marc Benoiff, hopes other moguls will follow suit. He’s previously donated $100 to UCSF’s Children Hospital.
Per the Chron.
“We’re loaded with money,” he said, and the mayor’s focus on preparing middle school students for the future workforce is a perfect match for the tech company’s philanthropic foundation.
“Why shouldn’t San Francisco have the best 12 middle schools in the country?” Benioff said.
Even if you dismiss this as a PR stunt, this is an instance of the much hated and disparaged tech industry doing more to actually improve things for the city than most of the foaming at the mouth racist ‘activists’ leaving hateful comments regularly on this site and using thinly veiled coded language about the ‘newcomers’.
Can Mission Local follow up on this story and clarify whether this gift will impact all SFUSD middle schools, including those that are part of a K-8 school, such as our neighborhood school Buena Vista Horace Mann? Or is it just the SFUSD 6-8 grade schools? Thanks.
For the record, this donation is not currently slated to go to any K-8 or 6-8 programs. Which means the one “middle school” in the Mission at Buena Vista Horace Mann will not benefit.
I mean to say 6-12 programs, not 6-8.