Minnesota Computers for Schools was established in 1997 by Governor Carlson, as a program of the Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning. The Minnesota State Legislature provided funding  for three years. From the beginning, the Minnesota Department of Corrections was an important partner, providing both facilities and inmate labor to refurbish the thousands of computers donated by many Minnesota corporations and government agencies. MCFS far exceeded its original goal of placing 18,500 computer systems in Minnesota schools within three years, but legislative funding ended on June 30, 2000, leaving the organization without its major source of funds.

In summer of 2000, the Minnesota High Tech Association, through its affiliated foundation, stepped in to save the organization from dissolution. The Minnesota High Tech Foundation solicited private contributions and developed an earned-income business model that created financial solvency. As the program grew and became more self-sufficient, the Foundation recognized that the program had evolved beyond the Foundation’s primary mission, and MCFS became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in March 2005.

Today, the organization is stronger than ever and well positioned to play an important role in the future of educational technology in Minnesota. While the basic components of the business model have remained constant since 1997, MCFS has substantially improved operating efficiencies, product quality and its capacity to collaborate with a wide range of partners to better serve Minnesota’s children in the coming years.