Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker

In December 2020, The Pritzker Foundation announced it is giving $10 million over the next five years to The Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) to support and develop promising and more diverse tech talent in Illinois. The funding helped establish the Pritzker Tech Talent Labs at DPI, which helps Illinois workers better adapt to a challenging and quickly changing economy, and help thousands of women and people of color secure high-paying tech jobs. The center will host programs dedicated to cultivating the skills needed to have a career in tech. The workforce programs will prioritize women and people of color who are underrepresented in the field, said Penny Pritzker, who leads the foundation with a bevy of Pritzker family members. The Community Education Unit of DPI’s Pritzker Tech Talent Labs is focused on building capacity for schools to equip elementary school, high school, and community college educators to teach computing and tech-related courses. In partnership with ten leading K-12 computer science educators from throughout the state, the Community Education Unit has launched this website to provide a space for K-12 CS educators to view and share curated resources that support teaching and learning CS, collaborate and engage with other CS teachers, and reflect on their teaching practices and outcomes. The Pritzker Foundation is led by Tom Pritzker, Nick Pritzker, Gigi Pritzker Pucker, and Penny Pritzker.

About DPI The Discovery Partners Institute empowers people to jumpstart their tech careers or companies in Chicago. Led by the University of Illinois System in partnership with top research universities, it does three things: Train people for high-demand tech jobs; conduct applied R&D; and support Chicago’s tech community. With state investment and a new innovation district in development, DPI has the resources to attract, develop, and leverage the most ambitious people and companies the region has to offer — and keep them here. About Pritzker Foundation Pritzker Foundation is a Chicago-based foundation whose grantmaking ranges across a variety of projects including education, health, culture, community development and science.