Uganda · Venezuela · Kenya
Digital literacy & connectivity
Donated laptops, school internet access and free e-learning tools so students can build skills that travel with them for life.
JAAS Foundation · 501(c)(3), volunteer-run
Making people a priority.
Since 2016 we've been working to close the digital divide with donated technology and free learning, delivered relief in a crisis, and funded the education of kids who were out of options across seven countries and here at home in Washington.
- 2016
- Founded by Jane & Aleksey Sinyagin
- 7
- Countries served to date
- 100%
- Volunteer-run, minimal overhead
- $74K
- Raised for UNICEF in 2023–2025
What we do
Four ways we put opportunity in people's hands
Our programs change with the need. What stays constant is a small, all-volunteer team that moves quickly and sends nearly every dollar straight to the people it's meant for.
Kenya · Colombia · Sri Lanka
Education & English learning
ESL classes, learning games and school partnerships, including funding a Kenyan teenager's high school education toward becoming a doctor.
Washington · Uganda · Ukraine · UNICEF
Crisis & community relief
When need is urgent we move funds fast: COVID cash mini-grants in Washington, food and sanitization for 450 students in Uganda, generators and first necessities for Ukraine, and $74,000 in UNICEF funding for children globally.
Washington State
Youth sports grants
Our newest program covers registration, cleats, gear and travel so cost never decides which Washington kids get to play.
Learn about soccer grants →
Our story
It started with a classroom in Ethiopia
In 2016, Aleksey Sinyagin traveled to Ethiopia with Microsoft's My Skills For Africa initiative. What he and his wife Jane saw: bright kids with no path to opportunity. That became the JAAS Foundation, built on one idea: create pathways out of poverty by closing the digital divide.
Since then we've brought connectivity, donated computers, English and digital literacy learning to schools and communities in Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Venezuela, Colombia and Sri Lanka, and answered emergencies from COVID-19 to the war in Ukraine.
EthiopiaUgandaKenyaVenezuelaColombiaSri LankaUkraineWashington
Read our full storyFrom the annual reports
A decade of showing up
- 2016
Founded by Jane and Aleksey Sinyagin after a Microsoft trip to Ethiopia
- 2017
Year of internet access and laptops donated to schools in Uganda; equipment restored in Venezuela
- 2018
Computer club training for 250+ students; 40 volunteers built free learning games
- 2020
COVID mini-grants in Washington; food and sanitization for 450 students in Uganda
- 2022
Generators and first necessities for Ukraine; education programs for indigenous and displaced children in Colombia
- 2023
UNICEF partnership begins; Aleksey visits the UNICEF field office in India; $10,000 raised for UNICEF
- 2024
$25,000 raised for UNICEF, focused on children globally
- 2025
$39,000 raised for UNICEF, focused on children globally, and priorities begin shifting toward local Washington communities
- Today
Same values, closer to home: youth sports grants for Washington families
How we work
The values behind every project we take on
Making people a priority
The people we serve come first. Their needs shape the program, not the other way around.
Being where needed
We focus on the most important need of the moment, communities without resources and places in crisis. In 2020 that meant COVID relief; today it also means kids who can't afford to play.
Respect & cultural identity
We introduce learning in a way that recognizes, preserves and celebrates the identity of every community we work with.
Keeping partnerships open
Schools, clubs, nonprofits, businesses and municipalities. Every partnership strengthens what we can do together.
“Today we received your most welcome grant. There are tears in my eyes and a grateful heart. Bless you all.”
COVID-19 mini-grant recipient · Washington State, 2020
Newest program · Washington State
Youth soccer grants for local families
Cost is the number one reason kids quit sports. We cover registration, cleats, gear and travel, paid directly, with a short application and no red tape.
Every dollar goes to a person, not an office
We're entirely volunteer-run with almost no overhead, so your gift becomes a laptop, a school meal, a semester of tuition or a season on the field.