Tesla CEO Elon Musk has donated $5 million to the online learning organization Khan Academy.
In a YouTube video posted Monday, Khan Academy founder Salman Khan thanked Musk for the donation, which the Tesla CEO made through his Musk Foundation.
“Elon, I hope you really feel good about this,” Khan said in the video. “This is going to allow us to accelerate all sorts of content. Our aspirations are all subjects — from kids to early stages of college. This will accelerate our science content, allow us to do more early learning, allow us to make the software and the practice that much more engaging.”
Founded in 2002, the Musk Foundation supports research in renewable energy, human space exploration, pediatrics and science and engineering.
Khan Academy is a nonprofit that aims to “provide free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.” Students worldwide can utilize Khan Academy videos, which are translated into more than 36 languages, and learn at their own pace. The resources — videos, practice exercises, and personalized learning dashboards — are also used by parents and teachers.
As the coronavirus pandemic forced schools to turn to distance learning, many students and parents who struggled with the transition turned to Khan Academy for help, the organization says.
While many students may not recognize Khan’s face, millions of them know Khan by his voice, because of his video tutorials on subjects ranging from photosynthesis and calculus to the American Revolution.
Khan Academy has over 120 million registered users, with up to 30 million students using the platform every month.
“I view this type of investment in what we’re doing as really foundational for us to be able to build a multi-generational institution, so that future Elon Musks of the world are also able to tap into their potential and help all of us up-level who we are as a civilization,” Khan said.
