Broward County Library gets $123,000 from Google to teach business and tech skills
Broward County Library announced Thursday it had been awarded nearly $123,000 from Google and the American Library Association to improve tech skills among small businesses owners and entrepreneurs from low-income and under-represented groups.
The funds will go towards an initiative called Making Entrepreneurship in Tech Accessible (META).
“Traditionally, under-represented and low income groups have been kept out of the tech business sector,” said Broward County Library Director Kelvin Watson in a release. “Broward County Library will address this inequity by improving participants’ technical skills through introductory and advanced tech workshops, and by offering quarterly incubators to help these groups launch their businesses.”
Broward was one of 13 library systems selected by the ALA for the initial grant; findings eventually will be used for similar programs in libraries across the country.
The county system was selected based on its history of providing services to low-income and under-served groups and its proposals for supporting under-served residentsto start or grow a business, Google said.
“It is an honor to be a recipient of this grant, and we know that the local business community will benefit immensely from the programs and skills that will come to them as a result,” said Watson.
The funds were made available through the tech company’s Grow with Google initiative, designed to create opportunities for individuals from all backgrounds. The grant is part of a new Libraries Build Business program, funded through Google’s nonprofit Google.org and administered by the ALA, the oldest and largest library association in the world.
“We are impressed by the innovation and institutional commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion Broward County Library has demonstrated in developing their small business offerings,” said ALA Associate Executive Director, Kathi Kromer in a release.
