Pittsburgh-based autonomous vehicle company Aurora announced Thursday that the company is donating $65,000 to fund STEM-related requests from Pittsburgh teachers.

The donations will be distributed via DonorsChoose, a nonprofit that works to match teachers with funding for classroom initiatives.

Aurora said the donation was “a way to support future generations of technologists as they start the new school year.”

The announcement comes as the company formally announced that Pittsburgh would be their official corporate headquarters. It has been headquartered in Pittsburgh since its inception in 2017 and recently unveiled a new space in the Strip District.

“With its incredible universities and focus on innovation, Pittsburgh has been home to Aurora since we were founded and we’re committed to continued growth right here in this community,” said Gerardo Interiano, Aurora’s vice president of government relations. “With a firm belief in the future of this city and its workforce, we’re excited to have our corporate headquarters here and to be making a donation that will help fund the city’s next generation of technologists and roboticists.”

Through its donation, Aurora will fund a variety of STEM-related projects, like helping third graders get supplies to build volcanoes, purchasing a color printer for a fifth-grade classroom and funding items like a digital microscope, science experiment books and an incubator for hatching chickens.

Aurora cited an economic impact report from the Regional Industrial Development Corp. that showed the autonomous industry is creating thousands of jobs in the Pittsburgh region, saying it is proud to contribute to growth in the Pittsburgh area.

“Pittsburgh is the birthplace of automated vehicles, and Aurora’s headquarters decision further cements our talent and our industry as leaders in this space,” Gov. Tom Wolf said. “We look forward to further collaboration with Aurora and this industry as we safely and efficiently develop the future of transportation.”

For Aurora, Pittsburgh is the city where they first drove autonomously through a test track, tunnels and snow. Aurora was the first autonomous vehicle company to be authorized by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to test such technology in the commonwealth.

“Aurora has been an outstanding partner in this city and a critical part of our growing autonomous vehicle economy,” Mayor Bill Peduto said. “Together, we will continue to make Pittsburgh a leader in 21st-century mobility.”

Local leaders lauded the company’s decision to keep its headquarters in Pittsburgh, where its new, 100,000-square-foot headquarters on Smallman Street will house an array of employees, including engineers, technical operations staff and IT. There will also be a shop to house its vehicle fleet.

U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills, said he was “very pleased” at the company’s commitment to Pittsburgh, calling it “another sign of Pittsburgh’s leadership in technology and self-driving vehicles, with the research and workforce infrastructure that companies are looking for.”

“Aurora has called Pittsburgh and Allegheny County home for quite some time, but now it’s official,” Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said. “We are delighted that Aurora has made this decision and welcome the opportunity to continue partnering and working with the company as it builds on the innovation for which it is known.”

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