2024 @ Scratch:
Creativity
Around the World
Explore the Annual Report
Message from Margaret Honey, President & CEO
Dear Friends,
2024 was a landmark year for Scratch. We celebrated our one billionth project and welcomed 21.5 million new users, expanding our reach to more than 140 million children worldwide. Scratch continues to grow—not just as a platform, but as a global movement that is powered by creativity, curiosity, and connection.
Last year, we deepened our global impact, partnering with 229 organizations across 49 countries, serving more than 4 million young people from around the world. In collaboration with UNICEF, we made important strides in understanding how engaging with Scratch supports children’s well-being. And we welcomed the inaugural cohort of the Youth Advisory Board, inviting 50 young people from 14 countries to help shape the future of Scratch as co-designers, mentors, and leaders.
As we look ahead to Scratch 4.0 and our ambitious goal to reach the next 100 million children by 2027, we are driven by a simple but powerful idea: that all young people deserve the opportunity to imagine, explore, and express themselves. Scratch is more than just a coding platform—it is a canvas for creativity, a community for connection, and a launchpad for lifelong learning.
Thank you for being part of our journey.
With gratitude and excitement for what lies ahead,
Growth & Global Engagement
Scratch is more than just a tool for coding; it’s a growing global movement. Across tens of thousands of schools, dozens of ministries of education, and diverse community-based organizations, Scratch has become the go-to platform for sparking curiosity, creativity, and confidence in the next generation of learners.
2024: A Year of Remarkable Growth
Expanding International Engagement
Globally, Scratch has worked with 229 organizations across 49 countries that have brought creative coding opportunities to more than 4 million children. In 2024, we worked with 54 new organizations representing 20 countries. These organizations provide localized support, resource sharing, and advocacy for creative coding in their countries.
Impact
In 2024, Scratch expanded its commitment to youth well-being and leadership, exploring the ways in which young people express themselves, connect with others, and grow as creative leaders.
Engagement and Well-Being in the Scratch Community
The Scratch Foundation launched a research study examining children’s well-being and engagement on the Scratch Platform. Supported by the LEGO Foundation and the Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children (RITEC) Initiative, this mixed-methods study reveals how creative digital participation can support key dimensions of well-being—including creativity, autonomy, competence, and relationships.
Elevating Youth Voices
Youth Advisory Board
Launched in August 2024, the Scratch Youth Advisory Board (YAB) is a global initiative empowering young people to shape the future of the Scratch platform while building leadership skills as mentors, facilitators, and co-designers.
In its first year, 50 youth from 14 countries contributed thousands of ideas and insights, providing invaluable feedback to the Scratch team. Building on this successful pilot, Scratch will expand youth leadership opportunities both online and in-person.
Charlotte
“Being a leader on Scratch is to be kind … When people are kind and helpful and friendly to each other, I think that's an example of being a leader. When you spread kindness you're leading everyone else to be [kind], too.”
USA
Annabel
“There is hope for the future! The generation of kids that are using Scratch are some of the kindest, friendly, creative, smart and optimistic kids ever.”
Australia
Max
“All Scratchers are leaders … In fact, leadership is integral to the very essence of Scratch — a community where kids lead each other.”
Hong Kong
Nisa
“It’s truly been a magical experience sharing my voice and representing the Scratch community that’s home to over 121 million users.”
USA
Sawsan
“It's important to remember that learning to code, draw, or use any other creative tool is a journey with no endpoint.”
UAE
Scratch Events
Scratch events are a celebration of imagination and a testament to what’s possible when young people, educators, and families come together to create. In 2024, from classrooms in Kenya to conference halls in New York City, Scratch events brought the world closer through joyful, hands-on moments of discovery and collaboration.
Scratch Day NYC
Scratch Day NYC brought together over 600 kids and their family members for a joyful, hands-on celebration of creativity and digital exploration at New York’s renowned Civic Hall. Alongside the family event, the Foundation held a special reception for donors and partners to get an inside look at the future of Scratch.
CS Education Week & Hour of Code with Gitanjali Rao
To celebrate Hour of Code 2024, Scratch teamed up with Gitanjali Rao–scientist, activist, inventor, and TIME’s first-ever Kid of the Year. In our “Create-Along,” a live coding event broadcast from YouTube into over 2,200 classrooms and homes worldwide, Gitanjali inspired Scratchers to overcome challenges, harness their creativity, and achieve their goals. Scratchers in our online community created projects inspired by Gitanjali’s work, projects showcasing their own inventions and powerful anti-bullying messages.
Over 800 Scratch Days Worldwide
In 2024, peer organizations hosted 820+ Scratch Days in 30 different countries, reaching more 100,000+ participants worldwide. The Scratch Foundation supports these events by providing activities, facilitation tips, and promotional materials to help bring creative coding to life in all corners of the globe.
Click to explore
A Year of Making, Remixing, and Sharing
Throughout 2024, Scratch hosted a variety of events to engage young people and educators worldwide.
Scratch Week
5000 projects shared
Scratch Camp
3,400 projects shared
Scratchtober
7,000 projects shared
Scratch Conference
1,300 educators joined
Message from Mitch Resnick, Founder
Dear Friends,
When we launched Scratch 18 years ago, our goal was to create a space where children could learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively. We designed a new type of programming language and also a new type of online community, so that young people could create and share projects based on their interests -- and learn new skills in the process.
Today, Scratch has reached a scale we never imagined, expanding learning opportunities for millions of young people around the world. As we look ahead, the Scratch Foundation is now squarely focused on building a sustainable organization, so that we can continue to evolve the platform, support the community, and keep Scratch free forever.
As new artificial intelligence technologies proliferate through society, it is becoming more important than ever for young people to develop the most human of their abilities -- their creativity, curiosity, and empathy -- so that they can deal creatively, thoughtfully, and collectively with the challenges of a fast-changing world. We are now developing a new generation of Scratch, called Scratch 4.0, that integrates generative AI into the Scratch platform in ways that will support (not replace) young people’s creativity.
At the same time, we are building a sustainable non-profit infrastructure that will blend philanthropic partnerships, licensing, and mission-driven earned-revenue strategies to support our dramatic growth and ensure that millions of young people can continue to create, connect, and learn on our free Scratch platform.
Scratch has always been about possibilities. Each day, when I look at the Scratch website, I’m inspired and delighted to see what young people around the world are creating -- and I can’t wait to see the new ideas, projects, and connections that Scratchers will bring into the world in the future.
Thank you for believing in Scratch.
With deep appreciation,
The 100 Million More Campaign
Scratch is on a mission to reach 100 million more young people by 2027. This bold, $30M initiative will fuel the creation of Scratch 4.0, help us amplify youth voices around the world, lay the groundwork for a sustainable future, and ensure that the Scratch platform remains free so that every child, everywhere, can create what they imagine.
We thank our foundational and generous supporters for getting the 100 Million More Campaign off to a great start.
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For a full list of Scratch Foundation supporters, please download the PDF version of this report.