Okta, Inc. (NASDAQ:OKTA), the leading independent identity provider, today announced the launch of a Nonprofit Cybersecurity Portfolio and $1,020,000 in grants to support better security across the social sector. Stemming from Okta’s three-year commitment to invest $10 million out of the Okta for Good Fund, a donor-advised fund held at Tides Foundation, this grant comes at a time when nonprofits are facing increased cyber attacks, putting millions of already vulnerable people at even greater risk.
More than 50% of nonprofits report being targeted by cyberattacks, yet most do not have the resources to maintain adequate cybersecurity plans. Nonprofits are integral in doing society’s most important work in coming together for common good. Their data and the people they serve must be protected. Okta’s Nonprofit Cybersecurity Portfolio, which is part of Okta’s Nonprofit Technology Initiative, is the company’s first step in supporting better security for nonprofits through six grants that provide resourcing for projects ranging from training to incident response support.
Nonprofit Cybersecurity Portfolio Grantees and Projects
The funds will be distributed between six different organizations and projects, selected in partnership with external nonprofit security experts and Okta Security leadership including David Bradbury, CSO, Okta and Jameeka Green Aaron, CISO, Auth0, a product unit of Okta. The grantees selected are:
“Our work at the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is focused on helping people forced to flee with access to their most basic and necessary needs. The last thing the people we support should be worried about is if their personal data is safe," said Pietro Galli, CIO, NRC. "We are grateful for Okta’s support in helping nonprofits improve their cybersecurity which is a critical, yet underfunded, area.”
Okta’s Nonprofit Technology Initiative launched in 2020 with the goal of contributing to a paradigm shift in how nonprofits are funded and enabled to make the digital transition. It focuses on three key areas including accelerating nonprofits’ move to the cloud, supporting digital transformation to enable nonprofits to reach their stakeholders digitally at scale, and securing nonprofits and their critical data. The Nonprofit Cybersecurity Portfolio is Okta’s first grant program focused on this third priority and brings the company’s total commitments through the Nonprofit Technology Initiative to nearly $6.5 million.
“I believe deeply that what we do at Okta isn’t just about technology—it’s about people. There’s nothing more important than the people we support and help to protect, which is why I am passionate about advocating for nonprofits and their missions and helping them protect the identities of their people,” said Jameeka Green Aaron, CISO, Auth0, a product unit of Okta. “I was thrilled to be a part of this Okta for Good effort to identify areas of need and to expand our work in securing nonprofits and their critical data.”
To learn more about the Nonprofit Technology Initiative, visit https://www.okta.com/okta-for-good/nonprofit-technology-initiative/.
About Okta
Okta is the leading independent identity provider. The Okta Identity Cloud enables organizations to securely connect the right people to the right technologies at the right time. With more than 7,000 pre-built integrations to applications and infrastructure providers, Okta provides simple and secure access to people and organizations everywhere, giving them the confidence to reach their full potential. More than 15,800 organizations, including JetBlue, Nordstrom, Slack, Takeda, Teach for America, and Twilio, trust Okta to help protect the identities of their workforces and customers.
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Laura Szatkowski
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