Craig Newmark Scholars Program

Building on our successful partnership with Craig Newmark Philanthropies, we are embarking on a new initiative to help further bolster cybersecurity efforts ahead of the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The Craig Newmark Trustworthy Internet and Democracy Program, made possible through a $750,000 gift from Craig Newmark Philanthropies, will provide news outlets, government functionaries, elections officials, and community organizations with free toolkits, online forums, and stakeholder outreach to help protect them from cyber threats.

As part of the Craig Newmark Trustworthy Internet and Democracy Program, GCA will:

  • Develop a cybersecurity toolkit for elected representatives and government functionaries, including Secretaries of State;
  • Enhance the existing GCA cybersecurity toolkits for elections and news;
  • Establish community forums where toolkit users can provide one another with mutual support and receive guidance from GCA;
  • Expand outreach activities for all three toolkits, including media outreach, increased online presence through social media activity, email campaigns, and language translations; and
  • Translate each toolkit into at least six languages including French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Chinese, and Arabic.

The gift from Craig Newmark Philanthropies will also establish the Craig Newmark Scholars Program, through which GCA will hire veterans, women, and reporters for one-year terms where they will help drive the organization’s mission. The initiative will offer these individuals an opportunity to enrich or start career paths in cybersecurity, providing an interdisciplinary experience and an immersion into the technical, partnership, fundraising, and policy aspects of cybersecurity work. Information on how to apply to the Craig Newmark Scholars Program can be found on our careers page.

As a GCA stakeholder, we request that you help spread the news about the program and help promote application to the scholars program through your networks. We are particularly interested in veterans organizations, journalism schools, and programs that support women seeking careers in cybersecurity.

Please reach out to us if you have any questions at [email protected].