Connect Chicago Innovation Program


Connect Chicago Innovation Program

Launched in 2018, the Connect Chicago Innovation Program supported collaborative, community-led ideas to increase technology access, digital skills, and adoption across Chicago.

Through the program, past award recipients have created 
an affordable and accessible cybersecurity workforce development program for women and leveraged data to create a neighborhood-level tool to understand gentrification and the displacement of community resources.

Managed 
by City Tech Collaborative, the fund was supported by Microsoft, Comcast, Sprint, the Lenovo Foundation, Gogo, Clarity Partners, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. 

Featured Projects

DePaul University + MAPSCorps:

Understanding Neighborhood Displacement and Disinvestment

Continued gentrification, displacement, and disinvestment are changing the landscape of our neighborhoods. The Institute for Housing Studies at DePaul University and MAPSCorps teamed up to create data indicators, sustainable processes, and tools to help organizations access, analyze, and compare neighborhood-level data to equitably preserve and improve communities.
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AnitaB.org + ISACA:

Accessible Cybersecurity Workforce Development

Past award recipients AnitaB.org and ISACA’s SheLeadsTech program partnered to create an affordable and accessible cybersecurity workforce development program to increase the representation of women in technology positions and provide pathways for retention and advancement in the field. 
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