City Of Boulder Chosen For Google Fellowship Program

BOULDER, CO — The City of Boulder has been selected for the Google.org Fellowship Program, an initiative that aims to help nonprofits and governments enhance their services and accelerate their social impact. Small teams of Google employees will use their product management, software engineering and UX design skills to provide up to six months of pro bono work for the city. Google.org is the company's philanthropic arm.

A team of eight “Googlers” and staff from five city departments will develop a way to help provide households — particularly those that are underserved — easier access to city services and programs online. The project aims to improve residents' access to programs such as recreation center discounts and scholarships, affordable housing programs, food tax rebates, childcare subsidy, financial assistance program for older adults and energy rebates, the city said.

“The city is grateful to Google and excited to explore this improved service for our community,” Boulder City Manager Jane Brautigam said in a statement.

(Stay up-to-date on Boulder news with Boulder Patch! There are many ways for you to connect and stay in touch: Free Newsletters and Email Alerts | Facebook)

Over the past few months, Boulder city staff from several departments worked to prioritize local projects that reflect community values, address unmet needs and meet Google.org’s program criteria, the city said. Google.org expressed interest in assisting with several projects, the first of which has been selected for program support this fall.

“This is the first time we’ve done a civics project outside of the Bay Area and we are thrilled to have the Google.org Fellowship program and our dedicated group of Fellows in Boulder — a city we’ve called home for thirteen years,” Lauren Lambert, head of External Affairs for Google, said in a statement. “We cannot wait to see how this project goes over the next six months and hope that by providing pro bono support to the City, we will be able to create a lasting positive impact for residents in the local community.”

Since Google opened its first office in Boulder in 2006, the company's philanthropic arm has made several philanthropic investments in the community. The company started a recent veterans’ resume workshop, STEM education programming for girls and digital coaching for small businesses and job seekers.

Google plans to deliver 50,000 hours of pro bono work worldwide by the end of this year.