Executive Branch Announces $100M in New Funding for Public Interest Technology

Kip Dooley

On Tuesday last week, a White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) event, "Advancing Public Service in the Technology Ecosystem," celebrated vital public interest technology (PIT) initiatives and announced new commitments from government, philanthropy, and civil society to continue building "a robust, inclusive technology landscape that works for everyone in America."

Public interest technology (PIT) is the study and application of technology expertise to generate public benefits and promote the public good. New America's PIT program began in 2017 with funding from the Ford Foundation, Reid Hoffman, and Todd Park. Seven years later, it has grown to include numerous partners-including government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, advocacy groups, universities, policymakers, and other mission-driven organizations-all part of a growing public interest technology ecosystem. We seek an ecosystem that is accessible, transparent, diverse, equitable, accountable, ethical, and effective. The Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN), launched by New America, the Ford Foundation, and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in 2019, has played an essential role in this field-building effort.

Many of the projects and best practices highlighted at the event and in the accompanying White House Fact Sheet as "education and career pathways necessary to ensure the governments have access to diverse, expert, mission-oriented tech talent," reflect the groundbreaking work by PIT-UN members. Many members announced new projects; the Fact Sheet announces new funding commitments to the PIT-UN Network Challenge and to PIT New England, one of four regional hubs that are the basis for PIT-UN's new regional organizing model. Spelman College Board member Kamau Bobb, senior director of the Constellations Center for Equity in Computing at Georgia Tech discussed Spelman's plans for a new center on public policy, democracy, and public interest technology.

New funding commitments announced at the event total nearly $100 million from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, and a range of philanthropic partners, including past or current partners in The Ford Foundation, Siegel Family Endowment, The Kapor Foundation, and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation. These commitments signal a clear commitment to further institutionalizing public interest technology through a number of ways, including research, curriculum development, partnerships with civil society, government and industry, student support, and career pipelines.

After welcoming remarks from Arati Prabhakar, director of OSTP and Rohit Chopra, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, panels moderated by PIT-UN Strategic Partner Afua Bruce and New America CEO Anne-Marie Slaughter explored the work of technologists in government agencies, growing the cultural and institutional support for public service in the tech ecosystem, and the larger ways in which the field of public interest technology can serve a thriving democracy, both by making government work for the people it serves and by creating new pathways of public service for those who wish to serve.

In addition to numerous federal officials, speakers from across the PIT ecosystem included Hillary Hartley, chief executive officer of U.S. Digital Response; Travis Moore, chief executive officer of TechCongress; David Siegel, chairman of Siegel Family Endowment; Cynthia Teniente-Matson, president of San José State University; and Darren Walker, president of Ford Foundation. The event concluded with remarks from Deirdre K. Mulligan, principal deputy U.S. chief technology officer for OSTP.

PIT-UN will look to build on this momentum at the PIT-UN Summit at San José State University, November 7-8. The Summit will bring together a select group of public interest technologists from across sectors with leaders from Silicon Valley and beyond to explore how PIT lends itself to Transformation: Leveraging Technology for Workforce Development and Social Impact. Virtual registration will open in September.

Learn more about PIT-UN's work by subscribing to the PIT UNiverse newsletter, or visiting www.pitcases.org.