When ColorStack first came to life in2020, it wasn’t part of some long-term plan—it was a response. A response to atech industry that didn’t reflect the brilliance and potential of Black andLatinx students. A response to the isolation so many of us felt in computerscience classrooms. A response to a system that wasn’t designed with us inmind. What started as a few hundred students in a Slack channel has become anational movement, 16,000 members strong, representing over 1,600 colleges anduniversities across the U.S. and Canada. And in our fifth year, the work hasnever felt more urgent—or more grounded.

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Our 2025 Impact Report is a love letterto what we made possible. This past year, we have continued to witness thetransformative impact ColorStack has had on the lives of students nationwide.Our members are graduating, landing internships and full-time jobs, buildingconfidence in their skills, and finding each other in spaces where they oncefelt alone. Over 80% of our students now believe they’ll graduate with afull-time tech offer. Nearly three out of four say they’ve made a new friendthrough ColorStack. That kind of data points to what we have built: a sense ofbelonging, momentum, and community that is propelling students into the future.

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We know the barriers are still real.Black and Latinx people make up a third of the U.S. population but remainunderrepresented in CS classrooms and the software engineering workforce. Thatgap doesn’t close with good intentions—it takes infrastructure, investment, andconsistent support. So we kept showing up. We facilitated mentorships,distributed over $400,000 in scholarships and travel support, hosted more than50 events, and expanded our student-led chapter network to 70 campuses. Throughour Oyster platform, we launched AI resume reviews, peer support tools, and agrowing offer database—resources built specifically for our community, based ondirect feedback from our members.

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But this year wasn’t without challenge.Decreased funding forced us to sunset the Family Fund, a painful decision thatunderscored just how critical sustainable support is for nonprofits like ours.Even in that moment, our members reminded us why we do this work. They stayedengaged, kept asking questions, and kept building with us. They proved onceagain that the ColorStack community is a force.

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None of this happens without our partnersand supporters. The recruiters who see potential where others overlook it. Thealumni who give back by mentoring the next generation. The donors and sponsorswho invest in systems change, not just surface-level fixes. Our wins this yearbelong to all of you. And while we’re proud of what we’ve done together, we’reeven more excited about what’s next.

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ColorStack was never just about closing agap. It was about building something better in its place. A future where Blackand Brown technologists can freely lead, innovate, and reimagine what’spossible. That’s the story we’re telling in this year’s Impact Report, and it’sonly just beginning.

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[Read the full 2025 Impact Report at https://www.colorstack.org/impact-report]

Let’s keep building.

— Team ColorStack

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