Tech Collaborative is Grand Rapids-based non-profit that supports young people from underrepresented backgrounds to learn web design by hiring them to do real client work for local non-profits at a fraction of commercial rates. The programme sees interns complete a 15-week, 300-hour internship, with their time split across technical training, client work, and a structured essential skills programme.  

This structure means interns gain practical work experience and the opportunity to build a portfolio, which are of growing importance in a rapidly changing job market, while non-profits get web services at below-market rates and dedicate more funding to their core mission.  

Tech Collaborative’s founder, Mike Carnevale, runs the CARNEVALE software design agency and had been offering this kind of support informally for years. Carnevale and Executive Director, Lydia Kauffman, set up Tech Collaborative in 2024 to develop this work into a structured, scalable programme.  

The Hg Foundation’s $100,000 grant over 15 months matches CARNEVALE’s annual investment, and is enabling a move into a dedicated site and larger intakes of interns. The Foundation is also matching up to a further $100,000 of external funding that Tech Collaborative secures for 2027.  

Funding is also supporting workshops with local youth organisations to build the pipeline of applicants. Alongside the grant, the Foundation is providing support to the Tech Collaborative team to develop their model and outcomes tracking, so they can measure the programme’s long-term impact on skills and employment.