Kapor Center Launches a $1M Grant Competition for Tech Diversity

Kapor Center Launches a $1M Grant Competition for Tech Diversity


Recently, the Kapor Center announced the launch of the Tech Done Right Challenge, a $1M national grant competition to enhance diversity in the technology sector, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. According to a recent press release, the Kapor Center will identify organizations throughout the U.S. that are actively addressing equity and inclusion gaps in their local tech ecosystem and provide them with activation grant funding to help start and/or grow opportunities for underrepresented women and people of color in tech. The grants will start at a minimum of $100,000.   

“We are excited to launch this challenge and encourage organizations putting in the work to collaborate,” stated Sergio Rosas, program lead for the Tech Done Right Challenge. “Experimentation will help us all better understand how to best build a technology sector that’s inclusive by design, not as a mere afterthought.”

So what qualifies an organization to apply? They must have a strong passion for building an inclusive tech ecosystem. The Kapor Center will judge this through the organization formulating an answer to the following question: “What is your innovative solution to build a diverse, inclusive and thriving tech ecosystem within your community?”

Other key criteria for applying include:

  • A proven track record broadening inclusion for underrepresented women and people of color
  • Proposed solution(s) that directly tackle(s) barriers of tech inequity across Post-Secondary, Tech Workforce, Entrepreneurship & Venture Capital
  • A demonstrated track record of positive public and private partnerships in local tech community

Applications are now open and can be found by clicking here. Proposals will be reviewed by a group of experts in building diverse, tech ecosystems. The submission deadline is Tuesday, May 7, 2019, at 12 am PST.  

About the Kapor Center:

The Kapor Center is a recognized leader in the movement to enhance diversity and inclusion in the technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem through increasing access to tech and STEM education programs, conducting research on access and opportunity in computing, investing in community organizations and gap-closing social ventures, and increasing access to capital among diverse entrepreneurs.


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