Apple commits $100 million to racial equity programs while disclosing its own diversity hiring record

As Apple continues its rapid growth in Austin, the tech giant says it’s strengthening its national investments in education, technology and venture funding programs as part of a goal to combat injustice faced by communities of color.

The donations are part of a $100 million racial equity and justice initiative designed to reduce barriers and provide opportunities for people of color across the country. The programs are the first identified by the company since announcing its intentions in June, as social justice protests erupted around the country.

“We are all accountable to the urgent work of building a more just, more equitable world — and these new projects send a clear signal of Apple’s enduring commitment,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a written statement. “We’re launching ... with partners across a broad range of industries and backgrounds — from students to teachers, developers to entrepreneurs, and community organizers to justice advocates — working together to empower communities that have borne the brunt of racism and discrimination for far too long.”

Apple will contribute to the Propel Center, an Atlanta-based innovation and learning hub for historically black colleges and universities, and will establish a Detroit-based Apple developer academy to support coding and tech education. It’ll also invest in New York-based Harlem Capital, which focuses on diverse entrepreneurs.

Apple said the initiative will complement the company’s internal efforts to improve diversity and inclusion.

In its latest diversity report, Apple disclosed that 53% of its new hires in the U.S. are from historically underrepresented groups in tech, including women and people who identify as Black, Hispanic, Native American or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

As of 2018, the company reported that 45% of its tech employees were white, 35% were Asian, 8% Hispanic, 6% Black, 2% multiracial and 1% Native American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. The company said 77% of its tech workforce is male.

Apple’s new initiative comes as the company’s presence in Austin rapidly grows. Austin is Apple’s largest hub outside of its California headquarters and the company has significantly increased its investment in the area in recent years. It has about 7,000 employees in the Austin area, a number that has grown more than 50% in five years.

In November 2019, the tech giant also broke ground on a new campus as part of its expansion locally. The $1 billion, 3 million-square-foot campus will initially house 5,000 employees when it opens in 2022 and have the capacity to grow to 15,000, according to the company.

While none of the initiatives are directly tied to Austin, Apple is working on other diversity-related initiatives with Austin ties, including work on college and K-12 levels. The Propel Center will also act as a national resource and Harlem Capital invests in companies nationally.

Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives, said the initiatives build on work the company has already been doing, including in Austin.

In Central Texas, the company works with the Austin Community College District to offer a coding and technology training program for students from kindergarten through the workforce.

“We’re trying to make sure students can get excited by what the tech sector can be and how it can intersect their passions, and how technology can take you further in pursuing the passions, or interests that you have,” Jackson said. “It may not have anything to do with technology, except that you have a passion for social justice and technology to be the connector to help you enable that passion.”

Apple’s initiative is one of a number of commitments from technology companies in support of diversity following the summer’s Black Lives Matter protests.

IBM announced in September that it would put $100 million into an initiative designed to bring technology, skill development and other resources to historically black colleges and universities. Last year, Paypal announced a $530 million plan to support Black-owned businesses and economic equality. In June, Facebook said it would commit $10 million to antiracist groups.

Apple’s initial glimpse into its $100 million pledge to combat racism focuses primarily on expanding opportunities through new grants, scholarships, programs and investments.

“If we learned anything over the past year, and maybe even the past week for that matter, it is that issues of racial justice and equality are still something we need to look forward to,” Jackson said. “We’re nowhere near there yet, and our country’s future and the future of people are really dependent on getting this right. We’re looking to help.”

The company is making a $25 million contribution and partnering to help launch the Propel Center, which is expected to act as a resource to all historically black colleges and universities, including Huston-Tillotson University in Austin and Texas-based Prairie View A&M University. Jackson said it is looking to take advantage of virtual learning opportunities brought forth by the pandemic to serve the maximum number of students possible.

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