(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Bowser announced a plan that will provide at least 100 DC residents with pathways to jobs in technology and allow FiscalNote, a DC-based technology company, to retain its headquarters in Washington, DC.
“Retaining a successful, homegrown company like FiscalNote in the District signals the strength of our growing tech and inclusion economy,” said Mayor Bowser. “More importantly, this initiative builds on my Administration’s commitment to ensuring DC residents across all eight wards are well prepared to compete for good paying jobs in Washington, DC. This is how we spread inclusive prosperity – retain strong businesses and equip more DC residents with the skills and knowledge they need to work at them.”
Through a combination of high school and adult training, Summer Youth Employment Program internships, and apprenticeships, FiscalNote will create a series of opportunities that will help DC residents enter the field of technology. As part of the agreement to train DC residents, FiscalNote will receive $750,000 to assist with the signing of a lease for their future headquarters at 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. The agreement is designed to achieve Mayor Bowser’s goals of preparing residents for local, high-paying technology jobs and diversifying DC’s economy.
“Given FiscalNote's unique position at the intersection of technology and policy, we hoped to be able to stay in the District for our next wave of expansion,” said Tim Hwang, CEO of FiscalNote. “We found a partner in the Mayor's Office, who worked with us to develop the right incentives that enable us to remain here while giving us the opportunity to invest in training, apprenticeship, and internship programs for DC residents over the life of the agreement.”
Founded in 2013 in Washington, DC, FiscalNote uses data to deliver information to organizations that helps them build and manage their relationships with all levels of government. FiscalNote is currently located at One Thomas Circle, and will expand from 22,000 square-feet to 38,000 square-feet at its new Pennsylvania Avenue location in April of 2018.
“The District’s support of FiscalNote is an example of how the government can be innovative in attracting and retaining high-growth tech firms in D.C.,” said Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Brian Kenner. “We look forward to FiscalNote continuing to be a part of positioning the District as the capital of inclusive innovation.”
This announcement continues the Bowser Administration’s commitment to expanding DC’s innovation economy and serving as a national model for inclusion and diversity. Over the past year, Mayor Bowser released the District’s first-ever report on the current state of tech inclusion with specific goals of creating 5,000 new tech jobs for underrepresented workers and creating 500 new tech businesses founded by underrepresented entrepreneurs. The District also partnered with BEACON, a community-led campaign to make Washington, DC the most influential and supportive city for women entrepreneurs in the country. Additionally, the District launched DC’s Inclusive Innovation Incubator (In3), the nation’s first affordable co-working incubator focused on diversity and inclusion, at Howard University and recently teamed with the Washington, DC Economic Partnership to create the Pathways Scholarship, a first of its kind initiative to provide tech training, mentorship, and employment services for under and unemployed communities in DC.