Centri Tech Foundation

Social justice innovation awards in 2024, the centri tech foundation, in partnership with morgan stanley, convened and provided leadership coaching and mentoring to the 2023 fellows of the social justice innovation awards (sjia), a program now in its third year that aims to identify and invest in breakthrough ideas for social justice. Over 2022 and 2023, ctf re-granted $2.75m along with support to 11 innovators who are leading tech-based solutions for a variety of social challenges from youth mental health to access to technology, education, public benefits, second chance opportunities, and indigenous language preservation. The 2023 winners of the sjia each received grants and bespoke support to develop their innovations. They joined a 9-month fellowship cohort designed to promote collaboration, build leadership capacity, and increase their access to networks. The fellowship commenced with an in-person convening in washington, d.c., in september 2023. From october 2023 - june 2024, the cohort connected with leading experts for strategic sessions focused on technology, leadership and management and participated in one-on-one coaching sessions with a transformational leadership development expert. - ctf and the sjia fellows attended two leadership sessions with executives from morgan stanley to discuss generative ai and inclusive entrepreneurship. Ctf opened the 2024 social justice innovation awards, extending a call for nominations to a national network of subject matter experts and social justice practitioners. Over 100 applications were received, featuring ai models and other approaches to challenges such as climate change, workforce development, and health. Applications were evaluated by an external review panel, followed by semi-finalist interviews. Look ahead: in 2025, we will select and announce the program's third cohort; implement the cohort experience; secure partnerships and support to enhance the program; measure, document, and share program outcomes; and pursue future funding and support.

Digital integrators program building on our digital integrators program, ctf launched new digital tools for job seekers in baltimore and philadelphia as part of community skills connect, an initiative to help low-income residents navigate local workforce development resources and access digital skills training. With support provided by verizon's community enhancement award in the fall of 2023, ctf was one of 10 grantees helping fulfill verizon's $1 million national initiative to ensure communities have access to the tools and skills to navigate an increasingly technological world. In 2024, ctf developed community skills connect, a new digital workforce development initiative to connect low-income job seekers in baltimore, md, philadelphia, pa, and washington, dc to digital skills training opportunities and local workforce development resources. Working with community partners in each city, the initiative aims to help low-income residents navigate local workforce development resources, access digital skills training, and identify pathways for jobs and careers on the local level. In may 2024, we selected our on the ground community partners and re-granted a portion of the verizon award dollars to support their participation. Philadelphia's technology learning collaborative is a nonprofit coalition providing professional development and capacity building for practitioners and advocating for digitally inclusive communities. The baltimore digital equity coalition is a nonprofit helping individuals and organizations work together to bring vital digital equity resources to the city's most disconnected residents. Our partners' shared goal is to help streamline residents' journeys toward economic opportunity, from gaining digital literacy to adopting emerging tech for the workplace and wealth building, to earning credentials for jobs and careers. In october 2024, we officially launched the community skills connect platform across our networks, in collaboration with our partners. We produced customized and localized websites for each city, philadelphia and baltimore, that are deployed via the centri life digital services platform. Each local site has been co-branded with our community partners in each city and features digital skills training and other local workforce development opportunities. These new sites are aimed to help local job seekers better navigate and access services, resources, and information in their communities, and will aid our grantee partners in promoting their services to community residents. Additionally, we brought new models for digital skills education directly to residents in washington, dc's wards 7 and 8. In may 2024, we collaborated with service provider martha's table and the black upstart, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting black entrepreneurship, to host an ai for entrepreneurs workshop in washington, dc. We awarded scholarships and laptops to 33 aspiring business owners, ages 17 to 70+. These entrepreneurs with little to no tech experience came together to learn how to use ai to design, develop, and market products for their proposed ventures. As a result, 93% learned to use ai for the first time, 87% plan to pursue further training and certifications, and 54% plan to start their own business or side hustle. Looking ahead: a second ai for entrepreneurs workshop event will be held for aspiring entrepreneurs in washington, dc. While our digital platforms have officially launched, they remain in pilot mode across baltimore and philadelphia, allowing us to collect essential user data and feedback. This data will provide insight into how residents are interacting with the platform, informing further enhancements to better meet the needs of our communities. Ctf is pursuing opportunities to provide ai skills training for youth in washington dc to increase their employability and economic mobility.