UnidosUS Receives Grant from Google.Org’s AI Opportunity Fund

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Washington, D.C. — Today, UnidosUS announced it is a recipient of Google.org’s $75M AI Opportunity Fund. The goal of the AI Opportunity Fund is to help over one million Americans learn essential AI skills by providing grants to best-in-class workforce development and education organizations.  

According to the World Economic Forum, despite the rising demand for skills including AI, only half of workers have access to adequate training opportunities today. With their portion of the funding, UnidosUS will provide AI skills training to over 1,000 Latinx community members across the U.S. through a network of 32 affiliated organizations – nonprofits that are Latino-led and Latino-serving.  

“As AI and other technologies influence the ways in which work is done, we must ensure Latino communities receive the necessary training and opportunities to remain competitive and prepare potential employees with relevant skill sets,” said Mauricio Garcia, Senior Vice President of Programs at UnidosUS. “This grant makes it possible for UnidosUS to ensure Latinos can contribute to and share in the economic opportunities of the digital economy.” 

“The future of our economy hinges on ensuring that we leverage our collective efforts to build an AI-powered economy that truly works for everyone. Google.org’s $75M AI Opportunity Fund is an investment in American ingenuity,” said Justin Steele, Senior Director, Google.org. “We believe in empowering people, particularly those in underserved groups or geographies, with the knowledge to harness this powerful technology to boost productivity and create more access to economic opportunity. By working across sectors to equip over one million Americans with essential AI skills, we’re not just building a more prosperous future, we’re building a more equitable one. This is a chance to unlock the potential of AI for all, regardless of background or zip code.”

Through the grant, UnidosUS will provide access to the new Google AI Essentials course. The online course is product agnostic, does not require a degree or experience, and will teach workers foundational AI skills, AI best practices, and how to use AI responsibly. In under 10 hours, people will get practical, hands-on experience using AI to help with work tasks through videos, readings, and interactive exercises. The skills learned can be applied to a variety of roles across industries. After completing the course, people will earn a certificate from Google to share with their network. Along with Google, employers including Citigroup will use the course to upskill employees in AI skills. 

This builds on Google.org’s support to UnidosUS since 2018 to support more Latinos with pathways to opportunity, including bringing to life the CasaCode Program and the Digital Skills for Life (DS4L) program. 

To learn more about UnidosUS please visit https://unidosus.org.