SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CrowdStrike® Inc., the leader in cloud-delivered endpoint protection, today announced the establishment of the CrowdStrike Foundation. The CrowdStrike Foundation was established to nurture and develop the next generation of talent and research in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI). The foundation funds scholarships and research in cybersecurity and AI and provides pro-bono security software to non-profits, journalists and activists facing sophisticated intrusions. The foundation also supports communities across the globe through philanthropy, volunteering, and other activities.
Today, the CrowdStrike Foundation announced the funding of cybersecurity research for its first university partner, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). The beneficiary will be CSAIL principal research scientist Dr. Una-May O’Reilly, who conducts research on adversarial dynamics. The foundation also announced the creation of the “CrowdStrike NextGen Scholarship Program” for undergraduates and graduate school students studying cybersecurity and AI. These initial efforts are tangible examples of the types of programs the foundation will be supporting going forward.
“We established the CrowdStrike Foundation to support the next generation of talent and research in cybersecurity and AI,” said George Kurtz, chairman of the board of the CrowdStrike Foundation and co-founder and chief executive officer of CrowdStrike. “I am especially excited about the CrowdStrike Foundation funding research -- like the grants we are announcing today with MIT CSAIL -- to explore new ways to detect, deter, and defeat hackers and to expand the knowledge base available to the cybersecurity community across the globe. The threat landscape we face demands the best minds in cybersecurity, and the CrowdStrike Foundation emphatically steps up to develop new talent with our NextGen Scholarship program.”
Dmitri Alperovitch, president of the CrowdStrike Foundation and co-founder and chief technology officer of CrowdStrike stated, “I am particularly proud of the foundation’s efforts to protect vulnerable non-profit organizations and individuals, which are often targeted by sophisticated adversary groups. The foundation’s commitment to helping secure these vital non-profit groups allows them to focus on their core missions without fear of a cyber intrusion impacting their activities or even putting them in danger.”
“Having access to CrowdStrike Falcon on a pro bono basis is a critical part of our security program. Protecting our data, systems, and stakeholders is absolutely essential for our mission, and we are thankful to CrowdStrike for providing us with the most advanced endpoint protection technology,” said Glen Gainer, president and chief executive officer at the National White Collar Crime Center.
About the CrowdStrike Foundation
The CrowdStrike Foundation was incorporated in 2017. The CrowdStrike Foundation, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit, funds scholarships and research, provides pro bono security software protection, and supports communities across the globe. Major programs of the CrowdStrike Foundation include:
- NextGen Scholarship Program for undergraduate and graduate students studying cybersecurity and/or AI
- Funding research at universities with leading cybersecurity and/or AI programs
- Pro bono security software protection for nonprofit/nongovernmental organizations
- Support for communities through philanthropy, volunteering, and other activities.
More information on the foundation’s programs can be accessed from the foundation’s web page: https://www.crowdstrike.org/.
