Hispanic Federation and Comcast Expand Partnership to Grow Latino Wealth, Advance Digital Equity and Build Career Pathways

People are seen smiling sitting at desks inside a classroom.

Today, Hispanic Federation and Comcast NBCUniversal Telemundo announced that it is expanding its partnership to advance digital equity and skills building within Latino communities across the country.

Through a Comcast investment of $2.5 million over two years, Hispanic Federation will provide internet access and digital skills training to 10,000 Latino students and jobseekers, helping to increase career opportunities and grow economic mobility.

Comcast’s commitment, which will be fully allocated this fall to support 2024 programming, is a part of Project UP, the company’s billion-dollar initiative to advance digital equity. Last year, Comcast provided a grant toward the launch of Hispanic Federation’s Latino Digital Equity Centers Initiative and Digital Accelerator training program. Over the past year, more than 5,000 individuals have received digital skills training and nearly 2,000 have received either a salary increase or job placement as a result of the Digital Equity Centers.

Recognizing the critical role Latino-serving organizations provide in driving progress and results, Hispanic Federation will partner with 18 Latino-led and serving nonprofits in 17 cities to specifically support:

  • Building digital skills tailored to meet the needs of local area employers;
  • Job placement and career advancement;
  • Technology and other career-focused certification; and
  • Broadband adoption.

“Digital equity is the key to generational change and economic mobility,” said Dalila Wilson-Scott, EVP and Chief Diversity Officer, Comcast Corporation & President, Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation. “Through our invaluable partnership with the Hispanic Federation we are able to accelerate impact and help open pathways to opportunity for all those in the Latino community, which includes the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers, and creators.”

“We’re incredibly proud to expand our work with Comcast,” said Frankie Miranda, President and CEO of Hispanic Federation. “Comcast and Hispanic Federation have a shared commitment to bringing 21st century opportunities to Latino communities. By expanding our digital skilling work, we’re empowering Latinos with the skills they need to tackle the jobs of today and tomorrow, creating lasting impact across the country.”

Additionally, Hispanic Federation will initiate strategic engagement with elected officials to ensure Latino inclusion in the historic broadband deployment and adoption programs that will be undertaken by state and federal governments in 2023 and 2024. Launched last year, the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program allocated $42.45 billion to build out the infrastructure to connect all Americans to the internet. Through its Digital Equity campaign, Hispanic Federation will connect Latino-serving organizations to state and federal representatives who are responsible for allocating these funds in communities across the country. The effort will ensure that Latino-serving organizations have the opportunity to access these resources that will enable them to provide culturally and linguistically competent resources and training directly to the Latino community.

According to the National Skills Coalition, more than 90% of job postings today require a digital skill. Over the next decade, 50% of tasks across all industries are expected to go digital, eliminating as many as 39 million jobs. However, over half of Latino workers have either limited or no digital skills and are among the racial and ethnic groups least likely to have fixed broadband in their home.

The full list of grant recipients follows.

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