SAN FRANCISCO — August 30, 2017 — Okta, Inc. (NASDAQ:OKTA), the leading independent provider of identity for the enterprise, today introduced the Okta for Good Fund. Okta also announced NetHope, a global consortium of the world’s leading nonprofits, as the first grantee of the Fund. Okta will serve as a Founding Partner of NetHope’s new initiative, the Center for the Digital Nonprofit, and the Okta for Good Fund grant will support technology initiatives for humanitarian nonprofits through the Center.
The Okta for Good Fund’s mission is to strengthen the connections between people, technology and community. The Fund will support three major program areas: developing the ecosystem for technology innovation in the social sector; empowering Okta employees with the knowledge and tools they need to give back; and investing in underserved groups in Okta’s global communities. The Okta for Good Fund is a donor-advised fund of Tides Foundation, a San Francisco-based philanthropic partner and nonprofit accelerator dedicated to building a world of shared prosperity and social justice, and strategic management partner for the Pledge 1% initiative.
“We founded Okta with a vision to enable people to connect with any technology, from a large multinational business to a nonprofit with a few employees – and we are committed to using the Okta Identity Cloud to positively impact communities around the world,” said Frederic Kerrest, Okta COO and co-founder. “Last year we took the 1% Pledge and created Okta for Good to establish our commitment to giving back to our global communities. Today we’re deepening that commitment by launching the Okta for Good Fund and partnering with NetHope as the Fund’s first grantee. By working alongside NetHope as a Founding Partner for the Center for the Digital Nonprofit, we’ll bring the best of Okta – our people, product expertise and resources – to support humanitarian NGOs around the world.”
Enabling Nonprofit Digital Transformation with NetHope
With this first grant, Okta is committing to be a Founding Partner of NetHope’s Center for the Digital Nonprofit, a new effort to enable digital transformation for global humanitarian nonprofits. Since its inception, NetHope has supported nonprofit organizations to better use technology to serve their communities. By providing resources, tools, guidance and grantmaking needed for this digital transformation, the new Center will build on years of technology expertise and on-the-ground nonprofit experience to provide a foundation that helps deliver aid, relieve suffering and build hope. Okta joins Microsoft as a Founding Partner, leading the way for other committed partners to invest in this important work.
“We’ve spent the past 16 years examining and building a deep understanding of how global humanitarian nonprofits are engaging with technology – exploring where gaps exist, and finding ways we can work across the public and private sectors to address them,” said Lauren Woodman, CEO of NetHope. “In partnership with Okta for Good’s mission of connecting people, communities and technology, the Center for the Digital Nonprofit will act as a catalyst for productive collaboration, innovation and problem-solving – reimagining how technology can improve our world.”
Deepening the Commitment to Okta’s Global Communities
In addition to launching the Okta for Good Fund, Okta will continue its commitment to giving back locally by participating for the fourth year in SF Gives, a $10M initiative led by Tipping Point Community and leading technology companies in the San Francisco Bay Area to fight poverty locally. Since the Okta for Good program was announced in 2016, Okta employees have invested 800 hours of volunteer time with more than a dozen organizations in our local communities, including Girls Who Code, Year Up and CareerVillage.org. In addition, in that time, Okta has directed $600,000 of donated technology to 130 organizations, reaching more than 365,000 users.
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