The Code for Change: Mr. Grant Money & The Girl Teaching Girls Tech

🎩 Summary Notes

This blog post follows Carolina, a 17-year-old from São Paulo who launched Código por Todas, a grassroots coding initiative for girls using borrowed classrooms, secondhand laptops, and boundless grit. Despite her impact, her program was ignored by funders—until Mr. Grant Money showed up.

Rather than polishing her story, he helped her translate her impact into funder language. Together, they registered as a nonprofit, gathered informal data, and built a case for international support—without losing the soul of her movement.

The result? A $250,000 education innovation grant that helped her expand to five cities, equip students, and build a tech sisterhood. Carolina didn’t wait for opportunity—she built it. And once her work was seen for what it was, the money followed.

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⚜️ Key Themes

🔹 Grassroots Tech, Big Impact
Carolina’s girl-led coding movement started with a simple question and a shared laptop—and grew into a national force powered by WhatsApp groups, Google Docs, and relentless passion.

🔹 The Visibility Gap in Funding
✅ Carolina had the results
✅ She had a model
✅ She had a mission
But funders didn’t know she existed—until the right person bridged the gap.

🔹 Funder Language vs. Real-World Impact
💡 Carolina’s feedback threads became outcome data
💡 Her workshop chaos became proof of scalability
💡 Her story, once seen as "too small," was reframed as revolutionary

🔹 Funding Without Losing the Soul
With guidance—not control—Carolina scaled Código por Todas without compromising her voice, her community roots, or her values.

🔹 Who Gets Backed as a Leader?
Carolina wasn’t a CEO, didn’t have a pitch deck, and didn’t wait for approval. But she was already leading—and what she needed was recognition, not permission.

⚜️ Discussion Questions

💬 Breaking Through the Noise

• Why are grassroots programs like Carolina’s often overlooked by big funders?

💬 Narrative Power

• How did reframing her project as an “educational revolution” help unlock funding?

💬 Girls in Tech, Girls in Charge

• What challenges do young women face in tech leadership—and what can funders do to support them better?

💬 Scaling Without Selling Out

• How did Carolina stay true to her mission while expanding nationally?

💬 Defining Leadership

• Who do we typically picture as a “leader”—and how does Carolina’s story challenge that image?

⚜️ Action Steps for Grassroots Leaders

✅ Package Your Impact – Translate informal wins (messages, photos, testimonials) into data funders can understand
✅ Stay Mission-Driven – Don’t let the funding process erase your authentic voice
✅ Seek Strategic Allies – Find advisors like Mr. Grant Money who understand both your world and the funding world
✅ Register When Ready – Formalizing your org can unlock doors—without compromising your grassroots core
✅ Own Your Power – Don’t wait for credentials to lead. If you’re doing the work, you’re already a leader

⚜️ Reflection

Carolina’s story is a reminder that revolution doesn't wait for recognition. She didn’t need permission to lead—only a little help translating her fire into fuel.

And thanks to that spark—and a funding strategist who saw her clearly—Código por Todas is now changing lives, one girl coder at a time.

☞☞ Click here to read the full blog post!! 👩‍💻🔥🌎