our work

digital equity

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 increasingly digital world.

vision for change

By working collaboratively with our communities, we aim to….

connect 20,000 Essex County residents with free or affordable access to the internet.
train 1,000 individuals and business owners to confidently use a computer and perform tasks online.
provide 5,000 Essex County residents with reliable devices so they can engage fully in the digital world.
engage over 100 partners who together will build resiliency for future digital challenges by acting as a countywide network of support.

the data

View Impact Map

To better understand the inequities in our communities, ECCF partnered with the Center for State Policy Analysis at Tisch College, Tufts University to produce several analyses of how the digital divide impacts each of Essex County’s 34 cities and towns.

2022 study

> Read the report in English

> Read the report in Spanish

2020 study

> Read the report in English

> Read the report in Spanish

measuring impact

Executive summary: Advancing Digital Equity in Essex County Year 1 Evaluation Report Executive Summary

investment areas

Access

Increasing available opportunities for affordable, quality Wifi or broadband internet service.

Stack of old laptops with dark background

Devices

Working collaboratively with community partners to equip residents with the hardware necessary to connect to and utilize the internet.

Group Young Coworkers Making Great Business Decisions.Creative Team Discussion Corporate Work Concept Modern Office.

Literacy

Amplifying digital literacy programming designed to train residents to operate digital devices and successfully navigate the internet.

Website design. Developing programming and coding technologies.

Ecosystem of Support

Uniting cross-sector leaders in a coalition to generate ideas, form partnerships and share information to find sustainable solutions to our region’s digital inequities.

looking forward

ECCF aims to further the depth and scope of this work by identifying and investing in innovative opportunities that break down additional barriers that may intersect with issues of digital inequity, or simultaneously address more than one of the above facets of this work.

Recent investments:

New Telehealth Navigator Program

advancing digital equity media

Six Month Donor Update

January 2022

Advancing Digital Equity Initiative Launch

June 2021

Stratton Lloyd

Rising Together event

North Shore CDC

Salem, MA Access Project

Support ECCF’s efforts to advance digital equity in Essex County.

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learn more about the work

digital equity news

Work in Essex County to close the digital divide highlighted at national funders conference

By Michelle Xiarhos Curran ECCF Communications Writer Across the country, funders and foundations are exploring effective ways they can support closing the gap between those with access to digital technology and those without it. The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight...

Successful digital equity pilot in Essex County leads to an expansion of critical programming

By Michelle Xiarhos Curran ECCF Communications Writer A successful, collaborative digital equity program piloted in Essex County is now being used as a model to expand work to connect residents with devices, broadband access and training across the state. The pilot, a...

Affordable Connectivity Program: “The data shows there’s still a need.”

By Michelle Xiarhos Curran ECCF Communications Writer Recent data from The Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts University reveals that while many Essex County residents still lack access to broadband, some communities are faring better than others when it comes...

ACP, state digital equity programs focus of countywide Digital Equity Coalition

By Michelle Xiarhos Curran ECCF Communications Writer Three quarters of respondents to a recent poll conducted by Essex County Community Foundation indicated that they were interested in applying to new digital equity programming offered by the Massachusetts Broadband...

Digital Equity – It all comes together in The Point

Statewide leaders visit Salem neighborhood to experience a holistic approach to getting people connected By Michelle Xiarhos Curran Creating true digital equity is like putting together a puzzle: all the pieces must fit before you can see the big picture. To achieve...

After 16 months of collaborative work, evidence of digital equity systems change emerges

By Michelle Xiarhos Curran In Salem’s Point neighborhood, where ECCF is working collaboratively to bring more people online, the common reaction to receiving a free laptop, said Nikki Schafer, is one of disbelief. Schafer, who is the North Shore Community Development...