This Philly nonprofit is giving out 100 Google scholarships

Want to boost your tech career? A local org may be able to help.

PWNC Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Philadelphia Women’s Network Connection, is partnering with Grow with Google Career Certificates Fund to give out 100 scholarships to students and professionals looking to grow their skills in various technology fields.

Felicia Shanken, founder and CEO of PWNC, said the organization is specifically looking for people in underserved communities to give these scholarships to. That could include college students, veterans, and lower-income people who otherwise might not be able to afford a Grow with Google course.

The Google program is virtual and completed over three to six months. Students don’t need to have any experience in the course they are taking. The course requires 10 hours a week, and students can complete their course hours at any time convenient for them.

Courses offered to students are digital marketing and ecommerce, IT support, data analytics, project management, UX design and android development. Students choose one course to take when they apply for a scholarship. After completing the course, participants graduate with a certificate and can apply for jobs at Google or with one of the 150 organizations they’re partnered with.

PWNC, which has a mission to support corporate women and women entrepreneurs in Philadelphia as they grow their business, applied to the $100 million Google Career Certificates Fund for these scholarships. Google’s professional development program partners with private sector institutions and nonprofits to help fund courses for people who want to grow their skills in technology.

“I’m very excited about it and I’m very excited that we were one of the ones chosen here in Philadelphia to give out some of these scholarships,” Shanken said.

According to the CEO, PWNC will monitor students as they go through their course to make sure they are staying on track. PWNC will also follow up with students after they complete the course to see how they’re doing in their careers.

“If we have someone that is stumbling, we reach out to them,” she said. “So it’s all about, we’re giving to them, and them giving to others.”

Google’s program aligns with PWNC’s mission to give back and further education. PWNC’s own Transition program serves women working in the corporate world who want to become entrepreneurs, offering them a stipend, opportunities for mentoring, one-on-one training, and peer support as they figure out where they want to go with their career.

Shanken said these Google scholarships are something everyone should know about because oftentimes, underserved communities are overlooked for these types of opportunities — “so for them to offer this and then have partners, private sectors and nonprofits come together to be able to do this with them. I think that’s amazing. So I can’t wait to start giving out these scholarships.”

There is no deadline to apply and the only requirement for applicants is that they are 18 years or older. Anyone interested in applying for the scholarship can email Shanken at felicia@phillywnc.org or info@phillywnc.org for more information.