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Coworking / Federal government / Funding

The DC tech community is still collaborating to support federal workers affected by the government shutdown

On Jan. 25 President Donald Trump signed an agreement to reopen the government, but these coworking spaces and tech companies are still banding together to help federal workers and contractors who were affected by the recent shutdown.

730DC is on a mission to connect young Washingtonians to their city. (Photo by Tajha Chappellet-Lanier)

The shutdown is over, for now, but the federal government is still divided more than ever.

President Donald Trump signed an agreement on Jan. 25 to temporarily reopen the government without funds for his border wall through Feb. 15. In the meantime, federal workers and contractors must return to their duties while still dealing with the repercussions from the 35-day shutdown.

Technical.ly DC previously reported on some initiatives tech startups in the area launched in support of affected federal workers. Here’s how the tech community is continuing to aid these workers in their time of need:

The Women in Tech Summit (WITS) offered a limited amount of scholarships to women affected by the shutdown to attend its Mid Atlantic conference March 28-29 in Washington, D.C. The scholarships include access to both days of the conference and the networking reception on March 28. Winners were chosen at random and notified on Jan. 28. WITS Cofounder Gloria Bell told Technical.ly that the summit awarded six scholarships and gave 50 percent off to every other woman who applied.

Bethesda, Md.-based real estate tech startup Homesnap is using a social media campaign to select and pay February rent or mortgage fees for 10 government workers affected by the government shutdown, for more details, read up here. All applications and social media posts are due by Jan. 31, and Homesnap will then randomly select the 10 entries to receive some financial relief.

Despite the the federal government being split, it at least seems like the shutdown has brought together the highly competitive Washington, D.C., shared workspace sector. The Yard Eastern Market along with Alley Powered by Verizon, Industrious, 1776 Crystal City, Inclusive Innovation Incubator, Make Offices, and Mindspace are offering free lunch to furloughed employees returning to work this week.

On Jan. 28, Alley and Industrious hosted lunches at noon. Here’s the schedule for the rest of the week:

  • Tuesday, Jan. 29: Inclusive Innovation Incubator, 2301 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, D.C., 20001
  • Wednesday, Jan. 30: 1776, 2231 Crystal Dr #1000, Arlington, Va., 22202 and Industrious, 1 Thomas Cir NW #700, Washington, D.C., 20005
  • Thursday, Jan. 31: The Yard, 700 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington, D.C., 20003 and MakeOffices, K St., 1015 15th St NW #600, Washington, D.C., 20005
  • Friday, Feb. 1: Mindspace, 1301 K St NW, Washington, D.C., 20007

With a government ID, federal workers can enjoy meals starting at noon each day on a first come first serve basis.

Shout out to #dctech for the support but after Feb. 15, will the government stay open? Whatever happens, we can be certain the tech community in the District will continue to offer a lending hand.

Companies: The Yard: Space to Work / Industrious / 76 Forward
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