Tech companies contributing to UWGT's annual community investment over the next two years

Addressing issues like poverty, racial and gender disparities, and food insecurity takes collaboration and community feedback. At United Way of the Greater Triangle, the non-profit is aided in its mission to eradicate poverty and increase social mobility for those in the Triangle area by joining forces with locally based technology companies.

Through the power of these partnerships, they're able to affect real change for residents across Central North Carolina, in Orange, Durham, Wake and Johnston counties.

For companies like Google Fiber, teaming up with United Way has helped meet the growing need for stable home internet, while also continuing their commitment to raising money for local nonprofits that increase access to housing and food. In 2020, the company also made significant contributions to United Way's Rapid Response Fund and Anti-Racism Community Fund.

In 2020, the Rapid Response Fund distributed over $1.4 million in the community as a direct response to the need revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic. IIn 2021, dollars from the Anti-Racism Community Fund were awarded to support the internal capacity of organizations to work in an anti-racist way while also providing additional dollars to organizations providing impactful programs through an anti-racist approach.

"We realize that the COVID-19 pandemic and generations of systemic racism have been intertwined, and the Black Lives Matter movement has rightfully called for more companies to change systems and influence their industries. Google made a commitment to improving racial equity, both internally and externally, and Google Fiber has aligned with that," said Jess George, government and community affairs manager for Google Fiber and board member for United Way of the Greater Triangle. "The Anti-Racism Community Fund is a perfect match for us because of its explicit purpose in ending racism in our communities. We see that as part and parcel of the work that we're also doing with our COVID-19 response."

"Doing the hard work internally and externally with organizations like United Way and the community partners that work very closely with them is a way for us to really look at and examine the realities of families who are impacted by the economic disparities and health disparities of COVID-19 and how those are intertwined with racist policies and practices that we've seen in North Carolina and across the country," she finished.

While Google Fiber is a globally recognized company, they're also active on a community-level across the state. In fact, they recently participated in a partnership with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System to figure out a way to close the digital divide for 6,000 families across the community.

Other tech companies in the Triangle area have a similar focus as Google Fiber, using their strengths and funds to aid in community-driven investments. Through his work at Ayon Capital and ZebPay, Rahul Pagidipati is using his expertise in finance and cryptocurrency to support the community.

"Many people who we might consider poor still have a smartphone, even if it's relatively old. Since smartphones are more relevant, there are some cool opportunities available for microfinance — even when it comes to giving people money on the street, eventually what will happen is they'll be able to use some sort of QR code to collect money," said Pagidipati. "What I'm hoping will happen is within the Bitcoin community, we can kind of build in some base, small amounts of universal basic income so that our profits are going back to go help people who are really in need. You don't need a bank account to get Bitcoin, and as long as a merchant takes it, you can use it."

According to Pagidipati, the goal of ZebPay is "not to make the rich richer, but the poor less poor." By increasing social capital through access to cryptocurrency, Pagidipati hopes to be able to provide people with a financial foundation that isn't provided by large banks or lenders.

While he and his company still have work to do in figuring out the details of this sort of plan, cryptocurrency has already made leaps and bounds in the public sphere in just the past few years, so Pagidipati is hopeful about the future potential — and United Way plays a major role in helping accomplish those goals.

"As an investor, United Way is a cool method for finding really great organizations that are doing social good and charitable work in the community," said Pagidipati. "Not every idea works, but they're able to gain more recognition and donations, and it gives you a vantage point to see the overall work happening in the community."

George echoed the same sentiments, emphasizing that Google Fiber's work in the Triangle community is amplified through the help of United Way.

"We all have to adapt to the challenges that have been presented to us, and I feel like this moment creates an opportunity for greater personal empathy for the ways in which communities have consistently lacked access to the resources that many of us have taken for granted," said George. "It also allows for a greater level of gratitude for these extraordinary non-profits who are on the ground every single day seeking solutions for the communities that they serve. We have greater access to the deep well of resources we each need in order to make a difference for our neighbors, for our cities and for our world, bringing that sense of empathy and gratitude into the workplace and pushing us further in the right direction."