The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has announced a $2.5 million investment in TechCongress, a nonpartisan initiative that places early and mid-career technologists as advisors to members of Congress. 

The organization’s Congressional Innovation Fellowship pairs data scientists, computer scientists, and computer engineers with an equal number of fellows in Republican and Democratic members’ offices to serve as advisors on technology policy and congressional modernization efforts. The twelve-month program also places fellows who identify as independents. The Knight Foundation’s investment will be used to upskill the tech capacity of Congress by expanding the fellowship cohorts from 16 to 24 fellows annually, converting a third of the fellows into full-time Congressional staff, and boosting the number of technologists placed on Capitol Hill to 60 by 2026. TechCongress also will work to increase representation of groups underrepresented in tech and strengthen recruitment efforts to ensure political diversity.

“Understanding the mechanics of current, new, and emerging tech is critical for governing in the 21st century,” said Lilian Coral, the Knight Foundation’s director for national strategy and technology innovation. “By increasing technical expertise in Congress, TechCongress fellows help our elected officials better assess how technology impacts Americans’ lives.” 

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