Sprout Social Makes $100,000 Contribution to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to Provide Scholarships for Black/African American Software Engineering Students

CHICAGO, Sept. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sprout Social, an industry-leading provider of cloud-based social media management software, today announced a $100,000 contribution to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) for the establishment of the Sprout Social Scholarship Fund. This contribution will provide eight merit-based scholarships to Black/African American college seniors who exemplify strong leadership abilities and demonstrate interest in computer science or software engineering. Scholarship recipients will also receive the opportunity to apply and interview for a full-time role at Sprout Social that would start in the summer of 2022.

Selected college seniors will be awarded an $11,000 scholarship to help alleviate outstanding financial burdens as they complete their post-secondary education. Moreover, through its partnership with UNCF, Sprout Social is also providing more access to opportunities for highly qualified students to enter the workforce.

Students interested in a career opportunity with Sprout Social can apply to be a part of the engineering rotational program for new graduates. Sprout Social’s rotational program embeds engineers in cross-functional Agile development teams. Individuals work across multiple engineering disciplines: back-end, front-end, QA, or mobile. Engineers also get exposed to a variety of technologies, including Java, Python, MySQL, Cassandra, Hadoop, Elasticsearch, NSQ, Docker, Kubernetes, React and Redux. They work in tandem with product designers and product managers to drive product initiatives to successful outcomes.

“We are proud to partner with UNCF to establish the Sprout Social Scholarship Fund,” said Cassandra Blackburn, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Sprout Social. “At Sprout, we are committed to increasing access to education and workforce opportunities for the Black/African American community. These scholarships are just one part of the work we are excited to continue with UNCF to cultivate creative, collaborative and inquisitive leaders that will drive the future of software development.”

“This gift from Sprout Social is very helpful, making a significant impact on the lives of talented, deserving students pursuing careers in computer science and engineering,” said Maurice E. Jenkins, Jr., executive vice president and chief development officer, UNCF. “HBCUs produce 25% of all Black graduates in STEM. Through valued partnerships such as this one, we can enable more students attending HBCUs to achieve better futures. We look forward to working with Sprout Social and others who would like to fuel more diversity across STEM careers in the United States. Black students have a lot to provide to this field, and their voices, skills and talent are truly needed.”

Students interested in applying can find more information here.

About Sprout Social
Sprout Social offers deep social media listening and analytics, social management, customer care, commerce and advocacy solutions to more than 30,000 brands and agencies worldwide. Sprout’s unified platform integrates the power of social throughout every aspect of a business and enables social leaders at every level to extract valuable data and insights that drive their business forward. Headquartered in Chicago, Sprout operates across major social media networks, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and LinkedIn.

About UNCF
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding nearly 20 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF awards more than $100 million in scholarships annually and administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste, but a wonderful thing to invest in.” Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at more than 1,100 colleges and universities. Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous news and updates, follow UNCF on Twitter @UNCF.

Media Contacts

Sprout Social:
Kaitlyn Gronek
Email: pr@sproutsocial.com
Phone: (773) 904-9674

UNCF:
Monique LeNoir
Email: monique.lenoir@uncf.org
Phone: (202) 810-0231