PHILADELPHIA, PA — JULY 8, 2019 — You hear about the importance of STEM education. Now you can do something about it. TechGirlz, the renowned tech training platform for middle school girls ages 11-14, is a finalist for the Philadelphia Foundation’s Key to Community Grants Program. The top prize is $200,000. There are nine finalists, and it’s up to the local community to choose a winner. The Philadelphia Foundation has set up a website at https://www.philafound.org/vote/. Voting opens at midnight on July 8, 2019 and ends at midnight on July 26, 2019. Residents of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Delaware are eligible to vote. The top prize goes to the organization that gets the most votes.

“This is our time. We are ready to scale,” said Tracey Welson-Rossman, founder and CEO. “We will help Philadelphia region schools by creating a pilot for a sustainable startup.” This program can be replicated anywhere, and TechGirlz has set its sights on a national rollout. The Philadelphia community is a perfect test audience, with a vibrant startup culture.

TechGirlz’ proposed pilot partnership with the National PTA will educate even more girls in the coming academic year. TechGirlz plans to offer free after-school courses where girls explore technology in all its facets. The journey inspires curiosity, imparts confidence, and builds community.

There is a myth that tech jobs are just about coding, but the reality is that tech is so much more than developing software: the list includes network admins, video game designers, graphic designers, QA testers, data scientists, database admins, cybersecurity experts, business analysts, project managers, social media managers, front end developers, and the list goes on and on.

TechGirlz, founded in 2009, ignites a love for technology in middle school girls through short, interactive workshops to teach middle school girls anytime, anywhere. Our free, open-source courses inspire curiosity, impart confidence, and build community as the foundation for a girl’s technological future. Hundreds of tech industry professionals work as volunteers to lead workshops and share experience. TechGirlz presented 144 workshops to 2,134 girls across the Philadelphia region in the 2017-2018 school year. Give girls the tools to crash the digital gates. Ignite a love of technology.

For more information, contact Tracey Welson-Rossman at [email protected].