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
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.
Devices
Working collaboratively with community partners to equip residents with the hardware necessary to connect to and utilize the internet.
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:
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.
learn more about the work
digital equity news
Applications open for ECCF’s Digital Equity Partnership Grants
Organizations working together may apply for up to $50,000 to help residents access technology Beverly, MA – Essex County Community Foundation, a nonprofit grantmaking organization serving the 34 cities and towns of Essex County, is offering support to organizations...
At Healing Abuse Working for Change, new digital access program transforms lives
By Michelle Xiarhos Curran ECCF Communications Writer One of the first people to sign up for a program offering free computers and internet access to clients at Healing Abuse Working for Change (HAWC) – a leading domestic violence agency serving Essex County – was a...
ECCF’s new round of partnership grants helps to bridge the digital divide
By Michelle Xiarhos Curran ECCF Communications Writer The latest round of partnership grants awarded by Essex County Community Foundation is supporting organizations advancing digital equity and bridging the digital divide. More than $300,000 has been granted to five...
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...
digital equity newsletter
get in touch
Kate Machet
Director of Strategic Initiatives
k.machet@eccf.org
GET IN TOUCH
500 Cummings Center, Suite 5450
Beverly, Massachusetts 01915
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ECCF's Tax ID # 04-3407816