IRC Wins “Connect” Award for Tech For Refugees-Funded Signpost Project

Each year, the United Nations (UN) SDG Action Awards hands out prizes to activists and organizations for their social justice and sustainability efforts. This year, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) won the “Connect” category for its Signpost initiative. Funding from partners like Tech For Refugees helped make Signpost possible.

Tech For Refugees’ founders are Giving Pledge signatories Julia and Yuri Milner. Yuri Milner has co-founded other philanthropic projects like the Breakthrough Prize and the Breakthrough Initiatives. He has also written a short book: Eureka Manifesto: The Mission for Our Civilization.

Tech For Refugees Pledges Support to the IRC

In February 2023, Tech For Refugees pledged financial aid that will span three years to the IRC. The gift will support the IRC’s humanitarian efforts and help the organization propel the adoption of its Signpost project in 10 new locations around the world.

Signpost recently won the UN’s 2023 “Connect” award in recognition of the project’s work supporting and empowering millions of people with accurate, prompt information.

Signpost brings community-led, responsive information services to crisis contexts across five continents. Eight million users have engaged with Signpost platforms, accessing vital resources (like geolocated service maps) and talking to trained community liaisons.

By connecting communities to convenient, localized resources and support, Signpost empowers individuals to make informed choices and safeguards their dignity and agency.

About Tech For Refugees

Mission

Tech For Refugees is a non-profit initiative dedicated to supporting refugee relief efforts through technology. Technology can offer vital assistance to refugees and displaced populations, whether through:

• Streamlining the distribution of food, supplies, and medical aid.
• Facilitating connections with shelter providers and essential resources.
• Granting access to online education and entertainment.

Tech For Refugees sponsors various projects by partners who use their tech-enabled networks and services to make a positive impact on refugees’ lives. These partners include Welcome.US, UNICEF USA, Flexport.org, Airbnb.org, Spotify, Uber, and NeedsMap.

Funding

Tech For Refugees has received a seed donation of $100 million from the Breakthrough Foundation. The Breakthrough Foundation supports projects like the Breakthrough Prize and the Breakthrough Initiatives.

• The Breakthrough Prize is a prestigious annual award that recognizes exceptional achievements in the fields of Mathematics, Life Sciences, and Fundamental Physics. Known for its substantial monetary rewards, the Breakthrough Prize highlights and inspires groundbreaking research and discoveries.
• The Breakthrough Initiatives are a set of ambitious projects launched to search for extraterrestrial life and expand our understanding of the Universe. The Breakthrough Initiatives involve advanced technologies and global collaborations between researchers and scientists.

Founders

Julia and Yuri Milner founded Tech For Refugees in spring 2022 in response to the war in Ukraine. The Milners are members of Warren Buffett and Melinda and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge. The couple joined the Giving Pledge in 2012, the same year that they established the Breakthrough Foundation.

Yuri Milner has called the Giving Pledge a new, scientific approach to philanthropy. This method prioritizes learning from real-world experiences to give more effectively to charitable causes.

In 2021, Yuri Milner wrote and released a book, Eureka Manifesto. In Eureka Manifesto, Yuri Milner offers the reader his perspective on humanity’s place in the Universe. Eureka Manifesto also discusses themes of space exploration and civilization-wide progress.