NEW YORK — As part of its larger efforts to advance DE&I, Hotwire will be providing up to $1 million in pro bono marketing & PR services to tech organizations that are led by or benefit minorities.

The Hotwire Ignite Possibility Program is open to any qualifying organization, regardless of whether they are commercial, non-profit, educational or governmental, in a country with a Hotwire office. The agency will work with local tech leaders identifying organizations that can benefit from the firm’s pro bono assistance with brand, marketing and PR services, which they would likely otherwise go without.

The larger goal of the program is promoting the growth and success of tech and tech-enabled organizations that are advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion through technology innovation.

“We started the Hotwire Ignite Possibility Program to direct more of our resources to organizations that align with our diversity, equity, and inclusion goals,” said CEO Barbara Bates. “We have been providing pro bono services to impactful organizations for years, but now, with the Hotwire Ignite Possibility Program, we can do more to advance social justice through our services.”

Hotwire’s move is in keeping with steps agencies have taken to support diversity and employees as part of the Black Lives Matter movement, as they step up efforts to eradicate the systemic racism that plagues industry, including PR.

In July, four small agencies — SourceCode, Cheer Partners, Social Studies and Superbolt — banded together to provide minority and women-led businesses with $1.5m in marketing support, one of the largest pro bono pledges to come out of the industry in response to racial strife.

Edelman and Weber Shandwick, the world’s largest PR firms, each pledged to provide organizations with $1m in pro bono marketing services in addition to other efforts to fight racial inequality.


Applications are now open for organizations in the US, UK and Germany until March 15, 2021. An announcement of selected organizations in those countries will be made in April 2021. Applications for Australia open later in 2021 and Hotwire may reopen applications in other regions throughout the year.