Yuri Milner’s Tech For Refugees Partner, the IRC, Wins “Connect” Award for Signpost Service

Many know Giving Pledge philanthropist Yuri Milner as the man behind the Breakthrough Prize and the writer of Eureka Manifesto. The billionaire’s Breakthrough Foundation provides funding for various non-profit projects, including the Breakthrough Initiatives and Tech For Refugees.

Tech For Refugees joins forces with — and funds — inventive, tech-focused organizations to support the world’s refugees. One of these organizations is the International Rescue Committee (IRC).

In July, the United Nations (UN) named the IRC the winner of the 2023 UN SDG Action Awards “Connect” category. The award recognizes the success of the IRC’s growing Signpost project, which the IRC has developed with a donation from Tech For Refugees.

Signpost: Empowering Communities With Information

Sponsored in part by Yuri Milner’s Tech For Refugees, the IRC’s Signpost connects communities affected by crises to critical resources. The project achieves this through the power of technology — specifically, community-driven information platforms.

Signpost’s team members provide a responsive, localized service to displaced people. The team members gather, create, and share valuable content (such as articles and videos), which users can access through the Signpost platforms.

On top of this, Signpost users can reach out to trained liaisons for individual support on issues like finding shelter and accessing legal counsel.

Signpost also develops programs through industry-wide partnerships and with leading tech companies. These companies — including Cisco, Meta, Google, and Zendesk — help Signpost power networks of digital help centers.

Tech For Refugees’ Donation Will Expand Signpost

Placing accurate information directly into the hands of communities in need can empower them to make crucial decisions in challenging situations. Since the project began in 2015, Signpost has distributed valuable information products in 13 languages to 58 million people in over 18 countries.

Tech For Refugees has made a multi-year commitment to the IRC to help Signpost reach even more communities. Over the next three years, funding from Tech For Refugees will propel Signpost into 10 new locations across 4 key regions:

• The Middle East.
• The Americas.
• Asia Pacific.

The IRC says this well-timed injection of funding will establish new benchmarks for information and assistance for those seeking safety.

About Tech For Refugees and the Breakthrough Foundation

Yuri Milner’s Tech For Refugees supports many pioneering companies and organizations in their efforts to ease the global refugee crisis. Some of the initiative’s tech partners include Uber, UNICEF USA, and Welcome.US.

In 2022, the Breakthrough Foundation pledged a $100 million seed donation to support Tech For Refugees’ inaugural programs with Airbnb.org, Spotify, and Flexport.org. The Breakthrough Foundation has since provided further grants for Tech For Refugees’ partners.

In addition to Tech For Refugees, the Breakthrough Foundation supports Yuri Milner’s Breakthrough Prize and Breakthrough Initiatives. (The Breakthrough Prize is the world’s largest award for science and math, and the Breakthrough Initiatives are innovative space science programs.)

The Eureka Manifesto author established the Breakthrough Foundation to fulfill his Giving Pledge commitment. Yuri Milner’s Giving Pledge focuses on furthering science and celebrating scientists through projects like the Breakthrough Initiatives and the Breakthrough Prize.

Yuri Milner talks about his Giving Pledge in his 2021 book Eureka Manifesto. Eureka Manifesto explores various thought-provoking ideas, such as how science and technology can drive humanity’s progress into the far future.

Tech For Refugees continues to seek new and established tech-powered humanitarian projects to support with funding. If you run or work for a non-profit, commercial, or academic organization in the tech space, you may consider joining the initiative.