Atlanta committee to review $110,000 Best Buy grant for youth tech careers

Atlanta’s summer youth employment program could get a $110,000 technology-career boost under a grant proposal scheduled for first reading Tuesday, Oct. 13, before the City Council’s Community Development/Human Services Committee.⁠[1]

The proposed ordinance would authorize the city’s Department of Labor and Employment Services to apply for and accept up to $110,000 from the Best Buy Foundation and add the funding to the fiscal 2027 budget. The city says the money would help expand the program by preparing young people for technology careers and technology-enabled roles across Atlanta’s major industries.⁠[1]

Alongside the funding, ordinance 26-O-1587 seeks a waiver of the city rule requiring council approval before applying for the grant. The department says it could not obtain that approval because the application deadline was approaching soon after it learned of the opportunity. The proposal does not give the application submission date.⁠[1]

The legislation says the foundation has offered the grant, but the packet does not establish that Atlanta has accepted or received the money. It describes broad goals—better technology access, educational programming and community resources—without specifying how many young people would participate, who would qualify or what training they would receive.⁠[1]

The committee meeting is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in the Larry M. Dingle Committee Room at City Hall, 55 Trinity Avenue. The first-reading listing is not approval of the grant or the waiver; the packet marks the legislation as pending.⁠[1]