Foundation/Mozilla Education

About Mozilla Education

Buildathon in Kenya

Our vision is a future where education is inclusive, creative, and lifelong, empowering learners everywhere to shape a more ethical, human-centered world of AI.

Our mission is to build the knowledge, skills, and community the next generation of technologists needs to design more ethical, human-centered AI. Through the Responsible Computing Challenge, Education Assemblies, and Compute program, we train learners and faculty at the intersection of computing and the humanities, making responsible, human-centered AI foundational to how technology gets built rather than an afterthought.

We bring a globally connected, field-building program for responsible AI and computing that fills a gap no other organization does, running across the US, South Africa, Kenya, and India with local faculty leadership. Our trusted brand and clear values give our partners professional recognition and institutional credit, while our convening power gathers universities, governments, funders, and practitioners in one room, a combination no single institution or sector can replicate.

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Team

We currently sit within the Grants Team, led by Lindsey Dodson (Director of Global Grants), in the Operations vertical and aligned with the “Imagine” component of the flywheel.

Dr. Steven Azeka Senior Program Officer (Program Lead)

Jaselle Edward-Gill Program Manager

Dr. Chao Mbogho Senior Fellow, Kenya

Jibu Elias Fellow, India

Kofi Yeboah Program Officer, Compute

Gretchen Adams Program Coordinator, Compute

Current Programs

EQUAL Compute Network Initiative (2025 - Current)

In 2025, Mozilla Foundation received a grant from IDRC and FCDO, and working alongside GIZ, and the Gates Foundation, to collectively work on advancing the design and implementation of the EQUAL Compute Network, aimed at bridging the AI compute divide between the Global South and North.

Starting with Africa, over the next three years, Mozilla Education will be collaborating with University of Cape Town to design, test, and scale an equitable, sustainable, and interoperable compute-infrastructure model. This model will enable African researchers and innovators to access, share, and utilize advanced computing resources for responsible AI research and development.

Funders include: The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)

Responsible Computing Challenge (2018-current)

The Responsible Computing Challenge (RCC) supports the integration of ethics, social impact, and public interest perspectives across higher education curricula. Through faculty-led grants, communities of practice, and open educational resources, the initiative helps educators prepare students to design, develop, and deploy technology that is more responsible, inclusive, and accountable.

Launched in 2018 as the Responsible Computer Science Challenge, the initiative was created in response to the growing recognition that computer science education had traditionally emphasized technical competencies while giving comparatively less attention to the societal, ethical, and human impacts of computing technologies. Rather than treating ethics as a standalone subject, the program encouraged institutions to embed responsible computing principles throughout existing computing curricula.

Beginning in 2022, Mozilla expanded internationally, supporting higher education institutions in Kenya and India. The program later expanded to South Africa, creating a global network of universities advancing responsible computing education through locally relevant curricula, research, and community engagement.

In 2023, the initiative was renamed the Responsible Computing Challenge to reflect a broader, more interdisciplinary vision of computing education. The new name recognized that preparing the next generation of technologists requires perspectives from across the humanities, social sciences, design, law, and other disciplines, while expanding the initiative’s scope beyond traditional computer science to encompass the wider computing ecosystem.

Today, the Responsible Computing Challenge is Mozilla Education’s flagship higher education initiative. Building on its original focus on curriculum transformation through faculty-led grants, the program has expanded to include educator communities, open educational resources, student leadership opportunities, and global partnerships that advance responsible computing education worldwide.

Funders include: Mellon Foundation (Current), Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Omidyar Network, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Schmidt Futures (Now Schmidt Sciences), United States Agency for International Development

Program By The Numbers

Number of Students

Country	Cohort 1	Cohort 2	Cohort 3	Total
United States	26,385	31,889	Started	58,274
Kenya	2,847			2,847
India	1,843			1,843
South Africa	1,247			1,247
Total	32,322	31,889		64,211

Number of Faculty/Staff

Country	Cohort 1	Cohort 2	Cohort 3	Total
United States	460	128	Started	588
Kenya	50			50
India	204			204
South Africa	40			40
Total	754	128		882

Student Projects

India

Marian College Kuttikkanam Autonomous

• WebEase 1.0 (Open-Source Accessibility Widget) Is an open-source tool that provides features like screen readers and AI-based summarization to bridge the digital divide. Since launching in 2025, it’s been loaded over 1.1 million times. Creators: Jerit Baiju; See: Github

Kenya

Dedan Kimathi University of Technology (DeKUT)

• Online Voting System: DEKUTSOE-VOTE an online voting platform designed to promote democratic participation by enabling users to securely cast votes remotely while ensuring transparency through real-time results dashboards. The system incorporates key principles of privacy, security, and accountability—such as encrypted credentials and controlled access—to help maintain election integrity and trust. Creators: Njuguna Samwel Mugo, Clint Simiyu, Brian Chege, Mbaruk Ali, Walter Onyango; See: Github
• Online Quiz Application: Cyber Security Awareness an online quiz application designed to improve cybersecurity awareness by educating users on safe digital practices through interactive assessments. It emphasizes responsible data use by incorporating privacy protections, secure handling of user responses, and consideration of bias in how questions and feedback are delivered. Creators: Bravin Kipchumba, Anthony Wangai, Brenda Kanani, Fidelis Wangari, Robinson Ndiritu, Loyce Mapenzi; See: Github
• Secure E-Voting System (E-Voting Application) a robust, secure, and transparent e-voting system. Implemented strong data encryption for privacy; used bias detection algorithms to monitor and mitigate unfair treatment, promoting inclusivity and fairness. Creators: Alice Mwangi, John Kamau, Mary Njoroge

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT)

• Tourist Assistant Robot was designed to promote cultural and wildlife awareness. Mitigated cultural bias and accommodated local accents (inclusivity/accessibility). Positioned as a supportive tool to enhance human experience rather than replace workers. Creators: Ian Peter, Sam kelvin munyithya, Owino Philemon, Mark Muga, Brian Mwangi
• Robotic Assistant Secretary for Institutions enhances campus engagement through accessible features—such as adjusted speech recognition for non-native English speakers and volume controls for users with hearing impairments—while ensuring privacy via anonymized, voice-based feedback. Creators: Stephanie Mukami, George Thuo, Ian Sawala, Rose Kimu, Felix Masese
• Robot Companion for Children assists caregivers by detecting and responding to a child’s emotions using an inclusive, bias-mitigated model trained on diverse datasets, while protecting privacy through anonymized data collection. Creators: Elvis Karanja Muiru, Moses Ndungu, Stephen Kanyanjua Ndirangu, Maurice Njoroge Muiruri, Alfred Muinde Tuva

Kirinyaga University

• Data bias in skincare diagnostics (Animation) highlighted racial disparity in AI diagnostics (failed to diagnose skins of color). Focused on designing an inclusive AI system to solve this disparity through innovation and collaboration. Creators: Patrick Wambugu Nderitu, Consty Lunga, Mary Njambi Maina; See: Video

Kisii University

• Mental Health Chatbot provides LLM-based support for campus mental health while prioritizing user privacy through de-identification, ensuring transparency about its AI nature, incorporating informed consent, and continuously addressing bias. Creators: Martin Masitsa, Purity Adhiambo
• Al-based Disease Prediction System aims to enable timely detection and reduce healthcare costs while prioritizing privacy, data security, and informed consent, and addressing bias to ensure fair treatment across ethnicity and gender. Creators: Evalyne Ombese, Catherine Juma, Kimberly Mwachilungo, Kennedy Okonda, Martin Mwai
• Smart Waste Collection and Monitoring System uses IoT to optimize waste management while prioritizing data privacy through minimal data collection, ensuring transparent and ethical data use, and considering social and environmental impacts. Creators: Gachoki Mutuota, Brian Oirere, Steve Patrobers, Felix Okello, Calvin Mokaya

Meru University of Science and Technology (MUST)

• Signature Verification System provides secure authentication by leveraging robust encryption and access controls, while upholding responsible computing principles through a focus on accuracy and reliability. Creators: Job Njenga, Scott Kaluku, Samuel Muriuki, Job Chege, Dickens Silany, Steve Otieno; See: Github
• Image Steganography securely embeds digital certificate information within images, prioritizing privacy, data protection, and system security while maintaining transparency in its design and use. Creators: Ronny Joseck, Robert Kinyua, Kevin Bwalei, Rashid Mwasharuti, Enock Kipngetich, Bethwel Kemboi; See: Github

Riara University (RU)

• Land Registry Application proposes a digital solution to reduce corruption and land disputes through secure data handling and privacy protocols, while incorporating voice command input to improve accessibility for visually impaired users. Creators: Brian Agui, Nyamvula, Ringa Sharleen, Onyango, Lorna Achieng, Wambugu, Mathew Nderitu
• Mkulima Connect connects farmers directly to markets to reduce exploitation by middlemen, promoting fair trade through transparency, accountability, and inclusive access via USSD for rural communities. Creators: Alex Kimani, Angela Kinga, Iman, Muntaha Mohamed, Joy Korir, Muna Maalim, Shekinah Vugutsa
• Autolife Saver (ALS) is an emergency response app designed to reduce response times, featuring multilingual support and accessibility tools such as screen readers and text-to-speech to ensure inclusivity and cultural sensitivity. Creators: Gitau Achshah, Vincent Mutua

University of Embu (UoEm)

• Al for early maize disease prediction a high-accuracy (99%) machine learning model to support small-scale farmers, with responsible computing achieved through transparency and close collaboration with end users (farmers). Creators: Team led by Humanities faculty, with students from Computer Science, Business in IT, Education; See: Video
• Al-based solution for climate change understanding a tool to advise farmers on optimal crops under changing weather conditions, promoting climate resilience. Responsible computing was achieved by ensuring farmer anonymity and actively involving end users. Creators: Team led by Education faculty, with students from Computer Science, Business in IT, Information Technology, Education; See: Video
• Al to improve work scheduling for proper time management a system to optimize task allocation in real time, with responsible computing achieved by ensuring fairness in scheduling decisions and protecting employee privacy. Creators: Team led by Computer Science faculty, with students from Computer Science, Information Technology, Education; See: Video

United States

Arizona State University (ASU)

• The Portable Memory Wallet is a learner-controlled system that captures and organizes academic, personal, and contextual data into a portable “memory layer” that can be shared across AI tools. It enables more personalized, continuous support by allowing users to control, audit, and selectively share their data while maintaining context across courses, platforms, and time. Creators: Alex Ababu, John Bevell, Kyle Brown, Ayat Sweid, Roger Kohler; See: Github and Presentation

Harvard University

• Inside Out is a decentralized, multi-agent memory system where independent “memory shards” capture different aspects of context and dynamically combine to generate responses. By making memory modular, portable, and adaptable across domains, it enables more flexible, cross-session learning and personalization compared to monolithic AI memory systems. Creators: Yilun Du, Zhenting Qi, Jack Fan; See: Github and Presentation
• An adaptive clinical copilot for global health a terminal-based AI agent system for exploring and interacting with complex knowledge graphs, enabling users to search, traverse, and analyze relationships between data points. By combining agentic retrieval with structured graph queries, it supports more dynamic, context-aware reasoning across interconnected datasets. Creators: Ayush Noori, Reza Shamji; See: Github and Presentation

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

• Personal Robots Group explores an agent-based system for interacting with and navigating complex knowledge structures, enabling users to query and synthesize information across interconnected datasets. It demonstrates how modular AI agents can dynamically retrieve, traverse, and reason over domain-specific knowledge to support more adaptive and explainable decision-making. Creators: Sharifa Alghowinem, Serena Bono, Parker Malachowsky, Eugene Park; See: Github and Presentation

Stanford University

• Selective Disclosure of Portable Memory via Local-Remote Collaboration develops a privacy-preserving AI chat system that enables “unlinkable inference,” allowing users to interact with AI models without exposing persistent identity or traceable data. By using mechanisms like blind-signed tokens and ephemeral keys, it ensures that queries cannot be tied back to individual users, advancing more secure and user-controlled AI interactions. Creators: Ken Liu, Erik Chi, Sanmi Koyejo, J. Alex Halderman, Percy Liang; See: Github and Presentation

Western Governors University (WGU)

• Headway explores building an AI-powered learning or support tool that leverages structured data and modular components to improve user guidance and decision-making. It demonstrates how rapid prototyping can integrate educational data, AI assistance, and user-centered design to create more personalized and scalable learning experiences. Creators: Drew Ceccato, Cory Hammon, Taylor Hansen, Betheny Gross, Kymberly Lavigne-Hinkley; See: Github and Presentation

Awardees

2026 US Cohort

• Colorado School of Mines | Golden, CO | Tom Williams
• University of Denver | Denver, CO | Alannah Oleson
• The George Washington University | Washington, D.C., | Y. Tony Yang
• University of Maryland, Baltimore County | Baltimore County, MD, | Yasmine Kotturi
• New York University | New York, NY | Safinah Ali
• The University of New Mexico | Albuquerque, NY | Beatriz Palacios Abad
• University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte, NC | Cori Faklaris
• Spelman College | Atlanta, GA | Mark Lee
• University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | Yuhao Kang

2025 South Africa Cohort

• University of Cape Town | Cape Town | Malebogo Ngoepe
• University of Witwatersrand | Johannesburg | Richard Klein
• University of the Western Cape | Cape Town | Carolien van den Berg
• Central University of Technology, Free State | Bloemfontein | Luzaan Schlebusch
• University of Pretoria | Pretoria | Marlene Holmner
• University of Fort Hare | Eastern Cape | Roxanne Piderit
• Durban University of Technology | KwaZulu-Natal | Emmanuel Adetiba
• Sol Plaatje University | Northern Cape | Nthabiseng Nkadimen

2023 India Cohort

• Ashoka University | Sonipat, Haryana | Debayan Gupta
• CHRIST (Deemed to be University) | Bengaluru, Karnataka | Surya Kiran
• Digital University Kerala | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala | Anoop V. S.
• Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati | Guwahati, Assam | Priyankoo Sarmah
• Indian Institute of Technology, Indore| Indore, Madhya Pradesh| Gourinath Banda
• Indian Institute of Information Technology, Kottayam | Kottayam, Kerala | Ebin Deni Raj
• Marian College Kuttikkanam Autonomous | Kuttikkanam, Kerala | Nisha Jose T
• National Institute of Technology Warangal, India | Hanamkonda, Telangana | B. Spoorthi
• Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal’s Dwarkadas J. Sanghvi College of Engineering | Vile Parle (West) Mumbai | Pranit Bari

2023 Kenya Cohort

• Dedan Kimathi University of Technology | Nyeri | George Musumba
• Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology | Juja | Eunice Njeri
• Kirinyaga University | Kerugoya | Kennedy Malanga
• Kisii University | Kisii | Fredrick Awuor
• Meru University of Science and Technology | Meru | Mary Mwadulo
• Riara University | Nairobi | Felix Musau
• University of Embu | Embu | Victoria Mukami
• University of Nairobi | Nairobi | Elisha Abade

2023 US Cohort

• Adelphi University | Garden City, NY | Suraj Uttamchandani | Matt Curinga | John Drew
• Bucknell University | Lewisburg, PA | Darakhshan J. Mir | Vanessa Massaro, Evan Peck | Nathan Ryan | Anne Ross | Sara Stoudt
• Howard University | Washington, DC | Yong Jin (Lance) Park | Chunmei Liu
• Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI | Susan Wyche | Jonathan Choti
• Northeastern University | Boston, MA | Vance Ricks | Meica Magnani
• Prairie View A&M University | Prairie View, TX | Marco Robinson | Sherri Frizell
• San José State University | San Jose, CA | Darra Hofman | Nada Attar | Saugher Nojan | Michele Villagran | Souvick Ghosh
• Stillman College | Tuscaloosa, AL | Fallon Wilson | Kevin Harris | Isaac McCoy
• University at Buffalo | Buffalo, NY | Dalia Antonia Caraballo Muller | Jamie Barber | Kenneth Joseph | Matt Kenyon | Christopher Proctor | Camilo Trumper
• University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley, CA | Lisa Yan | Ari Edmundson | Cathryn Carson
• University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | Remi Yergeau | David Adelman
• University of Notre Dame | Notre Dame, IN | Katherine Walden | Karla Badillo-Urquiola
• University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | Miguel Willis | Claudia Johnson
• University of Washington | Seattle, WA | Melanie Walsh | Sylvia Fernández | Miriam Posner | Anna Preus | Amardeep Singh
• Winston-Salem State University | Winston-Salem, NC | Debzani Deb | Greg Taylor

2018 US Cohort

• Allegheny College | Meadville, PA | Oliver Bonham-Carter
• Bemidji State University | Bemidji, MN | Marty J. Wolf, Colleen Greer
• Bowdoin College | Brunswick, ME | Allison Cooper
• Columbia University | New York, NY | Augustin Chaintreau
• Georgetown University | Washington, DC | Nitin Vaidya
• Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta, GA | Ellen Zegura
• Harvard University | Cambridge, MA | Barbara Grosz
• Miami Dade College | Miami, FL | Antonio Delgado
• Northeastern University | Boston, MA | Christo Wilson
• Santa Clara University | Santa Clara, CA | Sukanya Manna, Shiva Houshmand, Subramaniam Vincent
• University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley, CA | James Demmel, Cathryn Carson
• University at Buffalo | Buffalo, NY | Atri Rudra
• University of California, Davis | Davis, CA | Annamaria (Nina) Amenta, Gerardo Con Díaz, and Xin Liu
• University of Colorado, Boulder | Boulder, CO | Casey Fiesler
• University of Maryland, Baltimore County | Baltimore, MD | Helena Mentis
• University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | Suresh Venkatasubramanian, Sorelle A. Friedler (Haverford College), Seny Kamara (Brown University)
• Washington University | St. Louis, MO | Ron Cytron

Past Mozilla Education Programs

Mozilla Foundation’s mission is to build a technology future that serves the public good. Since 2010, Mozilla Education has advanced this mission by equipping learners, educators, and institutions with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to thrive in an increasingly digital world.

Early Mozilla Education initiatives focused on building an open ecosystem of programs, tools, and communities that promoted web literacy, digital participation, and lifelong learning. These efforts emphasized openness, learner agency, and community-driven innovation, laying the foundation for many of Mozilla’s later education programs.

Open Badges Project (2011–2017)

Girl Scout Earning a Digital Badges

In 2011, the Mozilla Foundation, in collaboration with the MacArthur Foundation, launched the Open Badges Project to address a growing disconnect between how people learn and how learning is recognized. As learning increasingly occurred across online communities, workplaces, volunteer organizations, and self-directed experiences, traditional credentials like grades and degrees often failed to capture it. (Source: Open Badge White Paper) Rather than replacing those credentials, Mozilla envisioned Open Badges as an open, decentralized standard letting any trusted organization issue verifiable digital credentials. Each badge carried metadata on the issuer, the criteria for earning it, supporting evidence, and authentication details, allowing learners to build portable, evidence-based records of their skills across multiple environments and display them through an open infrastructure rather than a single platform. (Source: How We’re Making Education More Like the Web - Mark Surman)

Mozilla released the first version of the Open Badges Infrastructure in 2012, enabling organizations worldwide to issue interoperable credentials using an open standard. It was subsequently adopted by educational institutions, nonprofits, museums, cities, workforce development programs, and online learning communities. In 2014, Mozilla helped establish the Badge Alliance to support community governance and adoption, and in 2017 stewardship of the specification transitioned to IMS Global Learning Consortium (now 1EdTech Consortium), ensuring continued development beyond Mozilla. (Source: History of Open Badges)

Mozilla Foundation Lessons: Open credentialing systems can achieve broad adoption through strong cross-sector partnerships. Long-term success, however, depends on sustained institutional commitment, reliable technical infrastructure, and dedicated operational support.

Webmaker (2012–2015)

Webmaker mobile app. Image: TNW

Launched in 2012, Webmaker was Mozilla Foundation's flagship initiative to help people move beyond consuming the web to creating it. Grounded in Mozilla's belief that understanding how the web works is essential to digital citizenship, it sought to make web literacy accessible through open tools, hands-on learning, and community participation, treating the web as an open, participatory platform where everyone can create, remix, and share rather than simply consume. To support this vision, Mozilla built a suite of free, open-source tools—including Thimble, X-Ray Goggles, Popcorn Maker, and Appmaker—that let learners create websites, remix existing pages, build interactive media, and develop mobile applications directly in the browser, exploring HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and digital storytelling through project-based, learning-by-making activities. (Sources: https://webmaker.org; https://learning.mozilla.org/web-literacy)

Webmaker also extended beyond software into a global learning movement, supporting thousands of educators, librarians, youth organizations, and volunteers through the Mozilla Clubs network, Maker Parties, Hive Learning Networks, and the Webmaker Mentor program, whose workshops and local events promoted web literacy across more than 100 countries. The initiative produced the Mozilla Web Literacy Map, an open framework—first released in 2013 and refined through community input—that defined the skills needed to read, write, and participate on the web and went on to shape digital-literacy curricula and educator development within and beyond Mozilla. Although Mozilla began sunsetting many Webmaker tools in 2015, its principles—the Web Literacy Map, a community-driven learning model, and a commitment to open educational resources—became foundational to Mozilla Education's later work in open learning, digital literacy, and responsible AI education. (Sources: Mozilla Foundation annual reports; Webmaker documentation; https://learning.mozilla.org/web-literacy)

Mozilla Foundation Lessons: Building innovative educational technology requires a long-term strategy for sustainability. While open tools can catalyze new approaches to teaching and learning, maintaining and evolving them requires sustained investment in technical infrastructure, product development, and community support. Many of Webmaker’s ideas—including browser-based coding environments and visual website creation tools—anticipated capabilities that later became widely adopted across the education and technology sectors.