About
AnitaB.org is a nonprofit organization that supports women and other tech professionals around the world. Its roots go back to 1987, when computer scientist Dr. Anita Borg and 12 technologists launched Systers, an online community where women in tech could connect, share resources, and support one another. Today the organization — legally the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology — works with people in tech in more than 80 countries and partners with academic institutions and Fortune 500 companies.
Mission
In AnitaB.org's own words, its mission is to get its community in tech skilled, hired, promoted, paid, and funded, so they can thrive, lead, and drive innovation for a more impartial and sustainable future. The organization says it centers people, not just technology, in everything it does, helping tech workers and organizations advance innovation and opportunity.
What they do
- Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC): a large gathering of women technologists co-founded in 1994 by Anita Borg and Dr. Telle Whitney, designed as a space where technical talent could thrive, grow skills, and find community.
- Awards and grants, including the Abie Awards, PitcHER, the Pass It On Awards, and the Tech Journey Fund Scholarship.
- Membership, local communities, and the Systers online community, plus a job board and talent network.
- Research and impact work, including Impact Reports, the Top Companies program, and the Technical Equity Experience Study (TechEES).
- Events and programs for individuals, organizations, and academics, including Open Source Day and diversity and inclusion workshops.
History
After founding Systers in 1987 and co-founding the Grace Hopper Celebration in 1994, Anita Borg formalized the work in 1997 through a nonprofit originally called the Institute for Women and Technology. When Borg was diagnosed with cancer in 2002, Dr. Telle Whitney stepped in as interim CEO; after Borg's passing in 2003 the organization was renamed the Anita Borg Institute for Women in Technology in her honor, with Whitney as President and CEO. Under Whitney's leadership GHC grew substantially, GHC India launched, and programs like Top Companies and local communities began. In 2017 Brenda Darden Wilkerson became President and CEO, and the organization adopted the name AnitaB.org.
Financials
According to the organization's IRS Form 990 data on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (EIN 77-0480427), for fiscal year 2023 the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology reported total revenue of 37,683,326 dollars, total expenses of 38,681,459 dollars, and total assets of 33,655,729 dollars. In fiscal year 2022 it reported total revenue of 46,397,164 dollars and total expenses of 30,360,981 dollars.
Governance
AnitaB.org is led by President and CEO Brenda Darden Wilkerson, who joined in 2017, and is overseen by a Board of Trustees. It is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.