Immigrants, seniors, young adults experiencing homelessness among groups to receive devices, training and support

The demand for programs that connect residents to the digital world is still high – and philanthropy continues to step in to fill the huge gaps that have been left by federal funding programs that have been canceled or stalled.

Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF) announced that it has recently awarded $360,000 to 12 nonprofit organizations helping residents across the region gain access to transformative resources that include devices, internet access, digital training and support through collaborative programming.

With this latest round of grant funding, ECCF’s grant investment in local digital equity collaborations surpasses $1 million.

“This is such an incredible milestone because of what that level of funding represents in our communities,” said Kate Machet, ECCF’s vice president of systems initiatives and government relations. “It’s about the people who are now connected to the resources they need to improve their lives because of the relentless work and determination of our incredible nonprofit grantees.”

The funding for this work comes in the form of Digital Equity Partnership grants, which require one lead nonprofit working together with additional cross-sector partners to co-create solutions to the region’s biggest challenges. It’s a philanthropic model ECCF uses across much of its grantmaking to help strengthen support systems built on collaboration to increase the impact, effectiveness and sustainability of the work.

More than 60 partners are represented in this round of digital equity funding.

“That’s something we’re really proud of too,” said Machet. “As we continue to expand this circle of nonprofits, for-profits, municipalities and community leaders working together to solve challenges, we are strengthening that collaborative muscle.  As a result, problem solving becomes progressively easier and more effective.”

Residents across 20 communities – including the region’s Gateway Cities of Haverhill, Lawrence, Lynn, Methuen, Peabody and Salem – will be impacted by this round of support. More elderly seniors will have the computer skills necessary to access public benefits. Immigrants, refugees, English language learners and low-income families will gain better access to healthcare and digital literacy skills. And young adults experiencing homelessness will be empowered to gain job skills, access educational resources and build their dreams.

Additional populations served include adult learners, survivors of domestic violence and low-income women. Recent grants were awarded to first-time grantees and returning partners.

“Because of federal funding cuts, people were coming back to ECCF for more funding,” said Machet. “We could have never anticipated the severity of the government funding shift, but what we did know is that some of these digital equity programs, which were already demonstrating clear impact here in Essex County, may have faded away without further investment by the foundation.”

ECCF is incredibly proud to support the work of the following organizations.

GRANTEES

• Ameelio, Inc., Essex County, $10,000 to launch a digital equity pilot serving incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals across the region.
• Power of Place, Essex County, $40,000 to bring together educators from its Essex County learning cohort of 20 school districts to explore, experiment with and understand how to harness the potential of AI while staying grounded in what makes teaching and learning so deeply human.
• Pathways Adult Education & Training Inc., Lynn, $50,000 to provide digital literacy classes and devices for distribution to residents of Lynn.
• Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative, Essex County, $32,500 to focus on digital skill-building for older adults specific to accessing public benefits.
• New American Association of Massachusetts Inc., Essex County, $25,000 to provide laptops and launch a sustainable train-the-trainer cybersecurity and telehealth literacy program.
• The Latino Support Network, Lawrence, Lynn, Peabody and Salem, $50,000 to provide basic and advanced digital literacy classes.
• North Shore CDC/Punto Urban Art Museum, Essex County, $25,000 to expand outreach efforts, increase the frequency of training sessions to meet growing demand.
• Healing Abuse Working for Change, Essex County, $25,000 to offer digital equipment, education and access as part of their comprehensive services.
• The Haven Project, Lynn and surrounding cities, $25,000 to support one year of internet access for 33 residential clients and laptop distribution for Career Development program participants.
• Citizens Inn Inc., Peabody and Salem, $25,000 to expand digital access and literacy for families and individuals experiencing housing and food insecurity.
• Vinfen, Essex County $25,000 for the Tech Connect Project, which provides access to devices and training for people with disabilities, brain injuries and serious mental health conditions.
• Women’s Money Matters, Haverhill, Methuen, North Andover, $25,000 to provide each program participant with a new computer and financial literacy training.

“We’re thrilled to support these incredible nonprofit organizations and their partners working to break down the barriers many people in our region still face,” said ECCF systems initiative consultant Jessica Vilas Novas. “The demand for these programs is still so high because technology is something that we all need, but not something we all have access to or can afford.”

Digital Equity Partnership Grants are part of Advancing Digital Equity, ECCF’s multi-year, $3 million commitment to empower all residents with the access, education and equipment necessary to successfully navigate our digital world. To learn more, visit www.eccf.org/digital-equity/.