Booz Allen Foundation: Bolder Initiatives, Big Impact

As AI, cybersecurity, data analytics, and other powerful technologies evolve, so does the demand for a future-ready workforce, one that’s ready to accelerate national security and economic growth.

Yet, as the world speeds toward this future, there is a risk that some will be left behind, without opportunities to develop the skills needed to fill the roles of tomorrow. Since its founding in 2017, the Booz Allen Foundation has been working to turn this trend around, leveraging technology to empower diverse talent and break the cycle of structural inequity.

As the Foundation releases its 2023 annual report, Executive Director Christine Hoisington talks about the Foundation’s growth and goals and how it is using its expanded growth to extend its impact in tech learning.

"Over the past year, we've gone deeper and bolder into our initiatives, with multiyear projects that have extended our impact in local communities and catalyzed an exciting national movement in AI," she says.

Read on to learn how the Booz Allen Foundation is deepening employee engagement, championing an AI literacy movement, and showing up for a better tomorrow.

The Foundation’s Equity Grants support nonprofit organizations and programs that are developing inclusive pathways to STEM education and leading underrepresented populations to emerging technology careers, from cybersecurity certifications in Washington, DC, to data science curricula in Hawaii.

Booz Allen employees are central to the process, nominating grantees, helping to evaluate applications, and volunteering their time to grantee organizations.

Christine says those partnerships really came to life over the past year through expanded engagement with Booz Allen employees. “We added a new element to the Equity Grants program, partnering with the firm’s employee communities to provide support for ongoing engagement,” she says.

In one case, the firm’s African American employee community hosted students from the Black Achievers program in Louisville, Kentucky. "The students did a tour of East Coast colleges, and along the way, they visited the Helix, our Center for Innovation in DC, and met with our employees,” she notes.

And in San Diego, Booz Allen’s Latin American employee community is taking another grantee to the next level. Booz Allen is developing STEM programming with MANA de San Diego, which works with middle school students through early career professionals. The partnership helps to ensure that Latinas of all ages can see meaningful representation in STEM careers.

“The ripple effect from the first AI Summit has been amazing to see. It’s shown the power of the Foundation’s role as convener,” says Nancy Laben, Booz Allen chief legal officer and a co-founder of the Foundation.

Building a more inclusive pathway to emerging tech careers requires an ecosystem of stakeholders. “Through our work as a convener, the Foundation helped start a movement,” Christine explains. “Over the past year, we saw it escalate, particularly related to AI.”

"We were able to take this concept of AI education and, rather than just funding aiEDU, an organization that was doing it, partner with them to launch a movement," Christine says.

The Foundation's work with aiEDU allows it to create an ecosystem of partners while maintaining a local focus. In January 2023, the Foundation convened its first AI summit, at the Helix in DC, bringing in stakeholders from Open AI, Google, and others.

Interest in AI literacy summits was high, leading to a national call to action at South by Southwest to have 500 school districts incorporate AI education in the classroom and AI teacher trainings set to take place across the country, including in Hawaii.

“Since that first summit, we’ve seen other offices get interested in engaging in AI literacy summits,” Christine says. “Our office in Honolulu has gotten in on the ground floor, bringing the stakeholder community together there. We work with the Department of Education in Hawaii, so we’re able to do more and go deeper in an area that doesn’t want to be left behind.”

Building STEM pathways and resilient communities where Booz Allen employees live and work has always been a priority, Christine says. The Foundation’s Pathbuilder grant program started out funding like-minded nonprofits in the Washington, DC, area, helping those organizations increase their capacity and fulfill their missions. In 2023, the Foundation extended its Pathbuilder grant program, hoping to replicate the success it had in Washington, DC, on the West Coast, in San Diego, where Booz Allen employees have supported clients like the U.S. Navy for decades.

The Foundation recognized that local schools and the community around them needed support to provide students with pathways to STEM career. “We provided funding to after-school programs in the neighborhood that feed into the local Lincoln High School (LHS),” Christine says. “We’ve also worked with Lincoln to help increase STEM learning programs.”  Support from the Foundation helped to fund a field trip to San Diego State University, where LHS students met with first-generation college students and learned more about engineering careers.

Looking forward, Christine says the Foundation plans to lean into its convening role while continuing to build and deepen its hyperlocal connections. One example is investing in Computer Science for All (CSforAll), a program that aims to make computer science a core part of the educational experience. “We’ve partnered with CSforAll to provide emerging technology trainings at the school district level,” Christine says.

“We also plan to further engage our employees, tapping into their skills and passions to build long-lasting partnerships.”