$3M Grant Targets Madison Latinx Tech Careers
- A $3 million grant will fund training programs to boost Latinx residents' entry into Madison tech jobs. - Grant supports apprenticeships, recruiter partnerships, and upskilling for hundreds of participants over multiple years. - Advocates say this could diversify Madison's tech workforce and address hiring gaps (patch.com).
A Madison nonprofit says a nearly $3 million grant will open a tech hub aimed at moving more Latinx residents into digital-skills training and tech jobs. (madison365.com) Centro announced on April 17 that Ascendium Education Group committed the funding for a new Centro Tech Hub. The nonprofit said the hub will focus on digital literacy, workforce development, entrepreneurship and leadership opportunities for the Latinx community in Dane County and across Wisconsin. (wispolitics.com) WKOW reported the hub is expected to open in August 2026 and will connect participants to tech education and career pathways. Centro’s main Madison office is at 2403 Cypress Way, with a second office in Sun Prairie. (wkow.com) (micentro.org) Ascendium’s grantmaking is built around postsecondary education and workforce training, especially for learners from low-income backgrounds. That puts the Madison award inside a broader push to fund pathways that lead to jobs rather than stand-alone classes. (ascendiumeducation.org) (ascendiumphilanthropy.org) The local backdrop is a growing county with a sizable Latino population. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates Dane County had 590,375 residents in July 2025, and 8.2% identified as Hispanic or Latino. (census.gov) Madison’s business groups have also been pressing for more workers and more inclusive talent pipelines. The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce’s 2023-2025 advocacy agenda called for keeping the region “inclusive” and backing immigration policies that grow the workforce. (madisonbiz.com) Centro has not framed the project as coding lessons alone. Its announcement describes a community-centered model that pairs basic digital access with career development, business support and leadership training. (wispolitics.com) That approach lines up with other Latino professional networks already operating in Madison. The Latino Professionals Association of Greater Madison says it focuses on mentorship, skill-building and networking, while the Wisconsin Latino Chamber of Commerce says it provides business workshops and advocacy. (lpamadison.org) (lccwi.org) Nationally, Latino representation in tech has been rising but remains uneven across technical roles. A 2024 Latino Donor Collaborative report said the number of Latinos in technical AI roles grew from 48.7% to 58.7% between 2018 and 2022, while Latino STEM degree attainment also increased over the past decade. (latinodonorcollaborative.org) For Madison, the next marker is August. If Centro opens on that timeline, the grant will start turning a funding announcement into a physical place where residents can train, build networks and try to enter the region’s tech economy. (wkow.com)
