Tech Talent Project is an advocacy group that recruits technical leaders to achieve left-of-center economic, policy, and social outcomes. ¹ It is a fiscally sponsored project of the New Venture Fund (NVF), a left-of-center nonprofit managed by consulting firm Arabella Advisors. ²

Between 2020 and 2022, the Ford Foundation has provided over $2.3 million in grants to the Tech Talent Project through New Venture Fund. In 2022, it donated over $1.6 million through two separate grants for the purpose of developing new public sector technical leaders that support the “key tech systems in federal and state governments.” ³ The Ford Foundation provided a $628,500 grant in 2020 for the same purpose. ³

Tech Talent Project’s founder and executive director Jennifer Anastasoff is the founder and former CEO of consulting firm FUSE Corps and served as a founding member of the Obama White House’s U.S. Digital Service from 2014 to 2017. ¹

Background

Tech Talent Project is an advocacy group that claims to recruit technical leaders for the purpose of achieving “critical economic, policy, and human outcomes.” ¹ According to its website, the group was founded in 2017 by staffers from both the Obama  and Trump administrations. ¹

Activities

According to its website, Tech Talent Project claims to support “thought leaders, government executives and public servants” ⁴ in assisting American communities by developing “evidence-based policies and programs […] and understanding how to vet and hire technically qualified candidates.” ⁴ The group also uses a “Tech Talent for 21st Century Government” online guide that claims modern leadership within governments require three attributes: “policy, digital delivery, and innovation.” ⁴

In 2023, it partnered with the Ford Foundation and “technology thought leader” Clarice Chan, a former employee of Microsoft and a White House Presidential Fellow, to produce a report on “Corporate Civic Responsibility” which the report defines as “a holistic approach that seeks to reimagine how the private and public sectors can collaborate to meet the needs of modern America.”  ⁵ The report claims that there must be greater investment into public interest technology (PIT) companies to address technological challenges modern governments face. ⁶

Funding

From 2020 through 2022, the Ford Foundation provided over $2.3 million in grants to the Tech Talent Project through its parent organization New Venture Fund. In 2022, it donated over $1.6 million through two grants for the purpose of developing new public sector technical leaders that support the “key tech systems in federal and state governments.” ³ The Ford Foundation provided a $628,500 grant in 2020 for the same purpose. ³

Leadership

As of 2023, Jennifer Anastasoff was the executive director of Tech Talent. The founder of the organization, she was also a founding member of the U.S. Digital Service for the Obama White House and served as its Head of People from 2014 to 2017, expanding the team size from three to more than 200. She is also the founder and former CEO of consulting firm FUSE Corps. ¹

John Bailey was a steering committee member as of 2023. Bailey is an advisor to the Walton Family Foundation, the Aspen Institute’s Future of Work, the George W. Bush Institute, TechStars, and the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), and is a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Another steering committee member was Max Stier, the founder and president of the Partnership for Public Service. ¹

1. “About Us.” Tech Talent Project. Accessed August 8, 2023. https://techtalentproject.org/about-us/.
2. “Tech Talent Project.” Democracy Fund, Accessed October 3, 2024. https://democracyfund.org/grant/tech-talent-project/#:~:text=Tech%20Talent%20Project%20The%20Tech%20Talent%20Project%2C%20a,to%20achieve%20critical%20human%2C%20economic%2C%20and%20policy%20outcomes.
3. “Grant Database: Ford Foundation.” Ford Foundation, Accessed October 3, 2024. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/grants-database/?search=Tech+Talent+
4. “Government.” Tech Talent Project. Accessed August 8, 2023. https://techtalentproject.org/government/.
5.   Chan, Clarice. “Corporate Civic Responsibility: A New Paradigm for Companies to Advance Public Interest Technology.” Tech Talent Project, December 21, 2020. Accessed August 8, 2023. https://techtalentproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Corporate-Civic-Responsibility_Chan_TechTalentProject_1.6.21.pdf.
6. Chan, Clarice. “Corporate Civic Responsibility: A New Paradigm for Companies to Advance Public Interest Technology.” Tech Talent Project, December 21, 2020. Accessed August 8, 2023. https://techtalentproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Corporate-Civic-Responsibility_Chan_TechTalentProject_1.6.21.pdf.