My First Bitcoin has received a $1 million grant from #startsmall, the philanthropic initiative founded by Jack Dorsey. The funding will help the non-profit continue serving grassroots Bitcoin education initiatives worldwide, accelerating its work creating and distributing free, open-source education materials and infrastructure.
What the grant will accelerate
The grant strengthens both existing resources and the organization’s digital reach. It will help improve materials such as the Bitcoin Diploma, the Bitcoin Intro Course, and teacher training workshops, while scaling platforms like the Online School and Community Hub.
Founded in 2021, My First Bitcoin has grown from a local project into a global movement, with its team directly teaching tens of thousands of in-person students and refining materials through real-world feedback. In 2023, it launched the Independent Bitcoin Educators Node Network, now spanning 65+ projects across 35+ countries — all committed to education that is independent, impartial, community-led, Bitcoin-only, quality, and focused on empowerment over profit. The network is now self-governing.
Why independence matters
For My First Bitcoin, the source of funding is inseparable from the mission. The organization emphasizes that education must remain free from external influence, framing transparent funding as essential to its purpose.
The revolution of Bitcoin education is that it teaches students how to think, not what to think.
That statement comes from John Dennehy, founder and Executive Director, who called the grant a proof-of-concept for all independent educators who stay on mission. Arnold Hubach, Director of Communications, added that “open source money deserves open source education,” noting growing global demand for the organization’s resources.
My First Bitcoin also credited its community as its primary funding source to date, pledging to keep developing curricula, teacher training, the global network, online platforms, and in-person classes — working, as the team puts it, for the public, in public.
Originally published at myfirstbitcoin.org
