Industrial and Institutional Sponsors

There is a critical need to develop a talent pool for innovation and discovery in the computing and information technology areas. Women are an underutilized source of creativity. Computer science and engineering (CSE) programs at the university level are failing to attract and retain women students who now represent the majority of high school students that are trained in advanced math and science courses. These women are taking their expertise to other technical disciplines and, thus, impoverishing the future of the computing field.


The Computing Research Associations Committee on the Status of Women in Computing Research (CRA-W) is an organization uniquely dedicated to increasing the number and success of women contributing to computer science and engineering (CSE) research and education from undergraduate students through senior leadership roles. CRA-W has a nationally recognized track record of success, having received a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2005 and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring in 2003.

Sponsorship of CRA-W is an effective way for corporations, industrial research labs, and professional organizations to have an impact on sustaining and expanding our proven programs to increase the participation of women in computing research and invention. Become a partner in our vision!


What CRA-W does


Research Mentoring CRA-W provides mentored research experiences for undergraduates and graduate students. Programs include:
  • The Collaborative Research Experiences for Undergraduates (CREU) program aims to increase the number of women and minorities who pursue graduate school in CSE, by involving collaborative teams of undergraduates who perform research at their home institutions during the academic year. An interdisciplinary version of CREU, CREU-Interdisciplinary, involves teams of undergraduates students performing research at their home institutions, with the focus of encouraging women to engage in multidisciplinary research projects.
  • Distributed Mentoring Project (DMP) is designed to increase the number of women entering graduate school in CSE by matching outstanding female undergraduates with faculty mentors for a summer of research at the mentors institution. Since 1994, the DMP has supported over 500 participants.
  • Discipline-Specific Research Workshops (DSRW) enable researchers (graduate students to senior researchers) within a particular subfield to develop collaborations and mentoring relationships.
  • The Grad Cohort Program aims to improve the graduate school experience and retention rates for women graduate students by building and mentoring a nationwide community of women through their graduate studies.

Community Building and Career Mentoring CRA-W offers programs to enhance the careers of women already in the computing field. Programs include:
  • The Career Mentoring Workshop series, sponsored by CRA-W since 1993, is targeted to women in academia and industrial and government research labs, with a special focus on early career topics.
  • The Cohort of Associate Professors Project (CAPP) concentrates on building a community of associate professors by providing mentoring, leadership training, encouragement, and ongoing peer-support activities to enhance their prospects for promotion.
  • The Borg Early Career Award (BECA) honors the late Anita Borg, an early member of CRA-W and an inspiration for her commitment to increasing the participation of women in CSE. The annual award is given to a woman in CSE who has made significant research contributions and has contributed to her profession, especially in the outreach to women.
  • The Distinguished Lecture Series (DLS) program sends faculty and industry researchers to campuses to encourage women and minorities to attend graduate school through technical talks, panel discussions, and networking activities.

Information Sharing CRA-W facilitates communication among women researchers and the overall research community. Programs include:
How to become a Corporate Sponsor


CRA-W is actively seeking support from corporate sponsors to share in pursuing our mission by expanding our portfolio of programs. Suggested sponsorship levels and benefits are listed below:
  • Bronze Level 10k
    • Provide a link on the CRAW webpage to sponsors CRA job postings
    • Publish one ad per year in the CRA-W newsletter (size: 1/8 page)
    • Display logo on CRA-W sponsorship webpage
  • Silver Level 15k
    • All perks provided to Bronze level, with ad size increased to ¼ page
    • Complimentary attendance for one employee to (industrial) career mentoring workshop
    • Include sponsor-provided materials in registration packets that are distributed at career mentoring workshops
    • Display internship ads from sponsor on our opportunities list (no jobs, just internships with research groups) for undergraduates, which we will make available for DMP/CREU/CREU-I applicants
  • Gold Level 25k
    • All perks provided to Silver level, with ad size increased to ½ page
    • Complimentary attendance for two employees to (industrial) career mentoring workshop
    • Provide a lunch with CRA-W board members at Grace Hopper to give feedback on programs
    • Use of membership email list for event notices and ads to members who have opted in to receive such emails (limit of two postings per year)

For more information about CRA-W: http://www.cra.org/Activities/craw/

To become a sponsor, contact craw-sponsor@cra.org