IBM allocates $5M in grants for cybersecurity in schools

IBM (NYSE: IBM) is providing a new round of in-kind grants totaling $5 million to help address cybersecurity resiliency in schools.

The Armonk-based company launched its IBM Education Security Preparedness Grants program in 2021, and this year”™s round will include enhanced offerings from IBM SkillsBuild on topics including AI and cybersecurity. Applications for schools are now open globally and grants valued at $500,000 each will be awarded to six U.S. school districts and four in other countries. Volunteers through IBM Service Corps will use their professional skills to help schools establish programs to address cybersecurity resiliency.

Ransomware is unfolding faster than ever, with attackers managing to cut down the time required to deploy ransomware attacks from over two months to just under four days between 2019 and 2021, according to IBM’s X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2023. In fact, the share of cybersecurity incidents observed in the education sector more than doubled in 2022 compared to the year prior, experiencing the largest increase year over year than any other industry.

“Time and time again attackers go after the education sector, yet many of these institutions remain constrained in their security resources,” said Andy Piazza, global head of threat intelligence at IBM Security X-Force. “To date, this program has helped more than 350,000 students across schools in the U.S. and abroad, with IBM Service Corps helping them recover from ransomware attacks, strengthen their security posture against future attacks, and prevent further disruption.”

Applications for K-12 public schools and educational institutions/organizations are now available online with a deadline of June 23.