The Digital Inclusion Fund Advisory Board has awarded nearly $200,000 in Digital Inclusion Fund grants to eight community organizations to help support technology access and literacy in Minneapolis. The purpose of the Digital Inclusion Fund is to bridge the digital divide in Minneapolis by providing financial resources to organizations that work with low-income people, people of color, people with disabilities, immigrants and refugees, displaced workers, seniors and other new users of technology.
The Digital Inclusion Fund was created in 2007 as part of the contract between the city of Minneapolis and US Internet Wireless (USIW), the company that owns and manages Minneapolis' citywide wireless network. This is the second round of grants awarded from the fund, which is managed by the Minneapolis Foundation.
"Having access to technology and knowing how to use it can improve the lives of people in all walks of life, whether it's a young person who needs those technology skills to get a good job, or a new immigrant who can use the Internet as a vital link to information and services they need." said City Council Member Elizabeth Glidden, who is a member of the Digital Inclusion Fund Advisory Board. "We're lucky in Minneapolis that the wireless network is affording us this unique opportunity to fund digital inclusion efforts."
This year's grant awardees are:
- Casa de Esperanza -- $20,000 for the Centro de Información y Recursos, which offers free Internet and technology access located at the Mercado Central.
- Common Bond Communities -- $30,000 for technology access and literacy efforts at Seward Towers East and West.
- Employment Action Center -- $30,000 for software and equipment for the Community Technology Center to assist new Americans in Web-based English language learning program.
- Library Foundation of Hennepin County -- $24,676 for technology training in Hmong, Somali and Spanish at four Minneapolis libraries.
- Minnesota Computers for Schools -- $8,000 for distribution of refurbished laptop computers to students in a low-income area of Minneapolis, with tech support from student "tech teams" that have been trained in computer maintenance and operation.
- PACER Center -- $30,000 for technology access and literacy training for low-income people, people of color, people with disabilities, immigrants, and refugees.
- Patchwork Quilt -- $30,000 for the incorporation of computer literacy into all programs as well as computer software skills training for residents of north Minneapolis.
- St. Paul Neighborhood Network -- $20,000 for digital literacy training and workforce readiness preparation at nine Minneapolis agencies.
