Code Platoon Receives Motorola Solutions Foundation Grant for 2019

Chicago, US​ – October 16, 2019 – Code Platoon, a non-profit that trains military veterans as software programmers, today announced it has received a grant for ​from the ​Motorola Solutions Foundation​, the charitable arm of ​Motorola Solutions​.

Through the grant, Code Platoon will be able to expand the number of instructors, scholarships, and total classroom seats available to military veterans and spouses for their training. The Motorola Solutions Foundation awards grants each year to organizations, such as Code Platoon, which support and advance public safety programs and technology and engineering education initiatives.

“Veterans and military spouses step forward to serve our country and they deserve our help,” said Rod Levy, founder and executive director of Code Platoon. “Our ongoing partnership with Motorola Solutions Foundation ensures we can provide new careers in software development to more of our nation’s heroes. This funding will help us scale in Chicago and continue to be a leader in innovation for the tech community.”

This year, Motorola Solutions Foundation grants will support programs that help more than 2 million students, teachers, first responders and community members around the globe. There is a specific focus on providing grants to programs that impact underrepresented populations, including females, minorities, people with disabilities, veterans and others.

“We are very pleased to support the work of Code Platoon,” said Monica Mueller, executive director of the Motorola Solutions Foundation. “We believe in organizations that foster innovation and drive change, and we’re proud to be part of the positive impact they are making in the community.”

For more information on the Motorola Solutions Foundation grants program, visit: motorolasolutions.com/foundation

About Code Platoon

Based in Chicago, Illinois, Code Platoon provides software coding training to help local veterans and military spouses find meaningful careers as professional software developers. 

While some veterans and military spouses do have four year degrees, the only requirements of enrollment are a deep desire to become a professional software developer, a positive work ethic, and a tremendous amount of tenacity.

Each student is eligible to receive a scholarship that covers about 80% of their tuition making this career path affordable and attainable. Code Platoon also offers extra scholarships to female veterans who join the bootcamp as they are historically underrepresented in technology-based careers. Students can also use their GI Bill® benefits to complete our program. 

The program consists of 8-12 students per class who spend 40+ hours a week together for 15 weeks. Students are taught the Python and Ruby on Rails technology stacks, which are increasingly popular in the software development field. Instruction is a carefully curated mix of lectures, advanced coding training, and team projects, frequently culminating in a local paid internship.

About the Motorola Solutions Foundation

The Motorola Solutions Foundation is the charitable and philanthropic arm of Motorola Solutions, the leading provider of mission-critical communications, software and video solutions that help build safer cities and thriving communities. The Motorola Solutions Foundation makes strategic grants, forges strong community partnerships and fosters innovation by funding programs in public safety education, disaster relief, employee giving programs, and technology education. The Motorola Solutions Foundation provides over $11 million in support to over 250 charitable organizations in over 30 countries annually.