United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County
Techquity is a new collective impact initiative of United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County. Techquity’s goal is simple: To bridge the digital divide by fostering greater digital equity and inclusion throughout our community. Supported by United Way’s Technology United network, Techquity connects stakeholders from business, governmental, educational, and social sectors to promote digital equity and inclusion via four core strategies:
Access: Ensuring all members of our community have access to affordable, reliable broadband.
Devices: Meeting the community’s needs for digital devices required to be healthy and successful at work, school, home, and the community at large.
Skills: Equipping our community with the necessary digital skills, literacy, and vocational opportunities to participate and excel in the digital economy.
Advocacy: Using our collective voice to fight for the digital equity and inclusion of every member of our community.
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Techquity pursues these strategies via the leadership of the Techquity Advisory Council, a group comprised of local professionals and leaders from a diverse range of sectors and backgrounds:
Blake Adams, Direct Supply, Staff Software Engineer • Shane Arnold, GE Healthcare, Sr. Enterprise Cloud Architect • David Berka, United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, Project Manager: Data, Evaluation, & Resource Equity • Joanne Blaesing, CIBM Bank, Executive Vice President • Tammie Brings, Molson Coors Beverage Company, IT Program Manager • Jane Durment, The Marcus Corporation - Retirees, Chief Information Officer Emeritus • Dzenita Sejfovic-Gross, Froedtert Health, Supply Chain Informatics Analyst • Lynn Fyhrlund, Milwaukee County, Chief Information Officer • Jeff Hanson, Digital Bridge, Executive Director • Tarik Moody, 88Nine Radio Milwaukee, Director of Digital Strategy & Content Producer • Tim Schaefer, National Guardian, Chief Digital Officer; UW-Milwaukee, Executive in Residence; Lake Hill Advisors LLC, Managing Director • Jeremy Simon, United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, Grants & Sponsorships Manager
Households with school-aged children
Under-resourced schools and other education-focused community organizations
Community-based organizations in “broadband deserts,” or areas of limited broadband connectivity
Elderly in need of digital devices and/or digital skills training
Persons seeking employment, especially employment requiring moderate to high digital skills and/or “upskilling”
Vulnerable populations, such as those experiencing domestic violence or homelessness
Hundreds of laptops for nonprofit agency partners and schools serving under-resourced students
Laptops for students at 12 Milwaukee Community Schools
150+ smartphones for community members seeking employment and/or housing
200+ of hotspots, including hotspot and phone data plans
To date, Techquity has funded:
250+ computers and tablets for nonprofit agency partners, including laptops for students at 12 Milwaukee Community Schools
Tens of thousands of dollars in Techquity Digital Devices & Skills Grant awards to nonprofits
200+ hotspots and internet access including hotspot and phone data plans
At this time, United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County does not accept donations of used or outdated computers or other digital devices.
However, if you or your organization have computers or other digital devices you would like to donate, we can connect you with Digital Bridge, a local, NAID AAA-certified e-recycler and Techquity partner organization. Digital Bridge would be glad to securely refurbish and/or recycle your old technology.
To learn more about donating technology, contact David Berka via email, or by calling 414.263.8157.
FCC Emergency Broadband Benefit