Give the Joy of Data to Yourself and Someone in Need this Holiday Season

What does “Buy One, Give One” really mean?

DataCamp has two revolutionary social impact campaigns designed to give students, teachers, nonprofit organizations, and people from underserved, lower-income communities the same Premium access to DataCamp our customers purchase for themselves. When someone buys a discounted Premium 1-Year subscription during this promo period, the Social Impact team at DataCamp matches that purchase with a donation of a 6-12 month scholarship through one of these two programs. We try our best to ensure all of our scholarship recipients receive at least six months of free access, however many beneficiaries end up getting free access for one year or longer. Let’s break down how the two programs operate.

Once the Joy of Data sale has concluded, our Data team will tally the total number of subscriptions bought. Our Social Impact team will then aim to match that number in the first half of 2023 with scholarships donated through our two CSR programs, DataCamp Classrooms and DataCamp Donates.

DataCamp Classrooms 

Since 2016, DataCamp Classrooms has served as an academic lifeline for college and university teachers and their students. After filling out the short Classrooms application form, teachers can quickly gain access to a six-month DataCamp Classroom that they can invite all of their students into, thereby sharing their access. Teachers gain access to the same tools as our Premium Teams clients so they can give assignments and view reporting.

Starting in 2021, we expanded DataCamp Classrooms eligibility to high school teachers and students aged 16 and up one country at a time. At the time of publication, secondary schools in eight countries are eligible for DataCamp Classrooms access: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, France, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

DataCamp believes teachers and students should not be treated like cash cows. Instead, they should be given the necessary tools to teach and learn effectively so the tech space can become larger and more equitable to people of all backgrounds. That’s why teachers can always reapply for new DataCamp Classrooms as long as they are employed by an accredited, degree-giving institution. That’s how teachers and students can retain free access for their entire academic careers. This is not a free trial, and no credit card is required. We just want to ensure teachers and students worldwide can always access education for the most cutting-edge topics and skills in data.

For more questions about DataCamp Classrooms, check out our Support Center. 

DataCamp Donates

The onset of the pandemic was the catalyst for DataCamp creating a program to benefit people who want to learn data science but who can’t afford our product. We sought a way to help people living in parts of the world where income is low, jobs are scarce, and/or environmental or political disasters have upended their lives. DataCamp Classrooms is not an option for these adults because higher education may not be compatible with their schedule or finances. That's what led to the creation of DataCamp Donates, now entering its third year.

Nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for a DataCamp Donates partnership. Once approved, they gain access to a DataCamp Team account identical to a DataCamp Classroom, except it lasts for 1 year instead of six months. DataCamp Donates scholarship recipients are guaranteed to receive at least six months’ access through our agreements with over 150 nonprofit organizations. We trust our Partner Organizations, who know their local communities best, to make sure these licenses get used by the intended disadvantaged people and do not go to waste.

In Summer 2020, DataCamp Donates got its start with a promo very similar to the Joy of Data. We sold 10,000 subscriptions and matched that number in the first six months of the program. We did it again the following year and sold 15k, and by the end of the first year, over 25k licenses were distributed to our nonprofit partners. Another year has since passed, and over 56,000 scholarships have been donated through the program. We love matching our customer’s investments in their own futures with investments in underprivileged communities and aspiring data professionals.

Applications are currently open for the Q1 2023 cohort! The DataCamp Donates website and its FAQ are also great resources for potential applicants where you can learn about the exact type of nonprofit organizations and disadvantaged learners we seek to help. To learn more about the genesis of DataCamp Donates and its evolution over its first year, please read our new summary blog post, Education in the Time of the Pandemic: A Summary.   

Have you really donated 800,000 scholarships?

Yes! Since 2016, DataCamp has given free access to over 760,000 unique users, the vast majority through DataCamp Classrooms. Because Classrooms and Donates learners and admins often get more than one scholarship to assist them in their growth, the real number of scholarships we have given is likely much higher than 800k or even 1 million. We are currently reviewing our data tracking to get more accurate figures on this in 2023.

Can I request who gets the scholarship my subscription paid for?

While we don’t have any functionality for assigning matched scholarships to schools or NGOs on the DataCamp platform itself, we encourage all customers taking part in this promo to reach out to DataCamp on social media by using the hashtag #dcdonates and tagging a teacher, school, or nonprofit organization of their choice to symbolically dedicate your contribution to them. We’ll keep track of those requests and follow up with our partners to ensure they get the message!

Not sure where your scholarship should go? Check out the list of DataCamp Donates Partner Organizations to see which ones support communities and causes that are close to your heart. Or, if you know a teacher who could really benefit from free access, tag them in your post and encourage them to apply to DataCamp Classrooms.

Does DataCamp give free scholarships directly to individuals?

The short answer is, unfortunately, no. In order to maximize our global impact, we give licenses directly to teachers who apply to DataCamp Classrooms and nonprofit admins who are approved for DataCamp Donates. Our teachers and nonprofit partners disseminate licenses to students and disadvantaged learners.

Students who want free access should encourage their teachers to apply to DataCamp Classrooms. Students may also apply to become a DataCamp Donates Partner by applying on behalf of a student club accredited by your school.

Disadvantaged individuals who are not attending school are encouraged to review our list of DataCamp Donates Partner Organizations and find some who work in their part of the world. Our 150+ nonprofit partners range from small, grassroots organizations to international NGOs and support learners in over 80 countries. 

How do I stay updated on DataCamp’s Social Impact efforts?

First, follow DataCamp on social media. We try to give updates about DataCamp's social impact every Sunday with the hashtag #dcdonates.

Next, remember to keep checking this blog! We have specific sections dedicated to stories about DataCamp Classrooms and DataCamp Donates.

Happy Holidays from the DataCamp Social Impact Team!

May all of our customers and scholarship recipients enjoy a happy and healthy holiday season! We hope all of you take comfort in the fact that you are making a huge difference in the lives of tens of thousands of aspiring data professionals worldwide by choosing to learn on DataCamp.