Michigan City is one of four small cities in the U.S. to receive a $75,000 Talent for Tomorrow: Digital Equity Challenge grant.

The award winners were announced during the U.S. Conference of Mayors 92nd annual meeting June 21 in Kansas City.

“Mayors are investing in economic development that lifts people up instead of leaving them behind,” said U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran, in a press release. “The Talent for Tomorrow Challenge grants will allow the 10 cities to grow these programs and build on their success.”

The challenge is a joint initiative of the USCM and Comcast’s Project UP. The $1 billion initiative supports digital equity for millions of people.

“By providing digital access and skills training, we will be able to build a stronger, more diverse, more equitable and inclusive workforce across the country,” Cochran said.

Winners in the small cities category were chosen for a commitment to expanding digital training that helps close gaps in skills. The Michigan City Area Schools Digital Revitalization Initiative was the catalyst for the award. Specifically, its digital placemaking platform focuses on wireless technology that creates communication strategies for community development. That connectivity includes students, residents and businesses.

“We are excited to leverage the partnership we have with Michigan City Area Schools to bring digital equity programming to parents and families. It's important that we connect families to opportunities to increase their quality of life,” Mayor Nelson Deuitch said.

The program's goal is to increase access to local workforce training programs to grow readiness for college and careers.

“America’s mayors know well that closing the digital divide is intrinsically connected to the economic competitiveness of our cities and towns,” said Dalila Wilson-Scott, executive vice president and chief diversity officer of Comcast Corp. and president of the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation. “The Talent for Tomorrow: Digital Equity Challenge will help ensure that more people, especially those most often left out of the digital economy, can take advantage of the opportunities that come with acquiring digital skills.”

Winners were chosen by judges selected by USCM. The other four small cities winners were: Kinston, North Carolina; White Plains, New York; and York Pennsylvania.

USCM represents cities with 30,000 or more residents. More than 1,400 cities are represented by their mayors.

Caption: The Talent for Tomorrow: Digital Equity Challenge is a joint initiative of the USCM and Comcast’s Project UP, and it supports the launch and expansion of local workforce programs designed to grow college and career readiness, close the digital skills gap, advance economic mobility, and lay the foundation for generational wealth in under-resourced communities. (Provided by Comcast)