The (PIT-UN) has announced its 2024 Network Challenge Grantees, whose public interest technology (PIT) projects will advance equitable innovation in technology across academia, government and civil society.
In its sixth year, the Network Challenge will distribute just under $1 million to 10 projects led by PIT-UN members. Francisca GarcÃa-Cobián Richter, research associate professor and associate director of the Center on Poverty and Community Development, was named a grantee in the focus area of educational offerings. GarcÃa-Cobián Richter’s project is “Integrating Community Knowledge and Equity into Integrated Administrative Data Systems for Research and Education in Data Science for Social Impact.â€
2024 Network Challenge Grantee projects focus specifically on educational offerings and career pipeline/placement efforts. Each project centers the needs of communities that have historically been excluded from technology design, workforce and policy, and will empower communities through partnerships with minority-serving institutions, local and state government and nonprofits.
The Network Challenge grants are exclusively available, via application, to members of PIT-UN, a network of 63 diverse academic institutions working to strengthen public interest technology as a discipline and a career. Since 2019, the Network Challenge has provided over $16 million to 154 projects that have built new courses, research centers, community and government partnerships, certificates and degrees, internships, fellowships and more.