The City of Seattle announced recipients of its 2020 Technology Matching Fund, an annual grant program supporting non-profit organizations that help bridge the digital divide.
A total of $345,000, which included a $25,000 contribution from the Verizon Foundation, will go to 15 groups around the Seattle region.
“The dual crises of COVID-19 and systemic racism in our region and our country are bringing into sharp relief the continued need for meaningful, intentional investments in our low-income communities and communities of color,” Mayor Jenny Durkan said in a statement. “More and more, our communities are relying on access to the internet and digital literacy skills to engage with their communities and make their voices heard. More than ever, it is crucial that we are investing in digital equity for all our communities.”
For more than two decades, the Technology Matching Fund has been awarding grants to fund digital equity projects at non-profits around the city. The program is one branch of Seattle’s Digital Equity Initiative.
This year’s recipients of the Technology Matching Fund grants are:
- 206 Zulu, Coolout Academy Digital Literacy Program
- Boys & Girls Club of King County, Bringing Technology to Northgate Girls & Boys Club
- Empowering Youth and Families Outreach, Computer Station Upgrade & Youth Laptop Provision
- Eritrean Association of Greater Seattle, Digital Equity and Advancement Project
- Filipino Community of Seattle, FCS Innovation Learning Project
- First Place, The Diversity S.T.E.M. Training Program
- Garinagu HounGua, Garifuna Technology Literacy
- Literacy Source, Basic Digital Literacy in North Seattle
- Low Income Housing Institute, Sand Point Cottage Community
- PROVAIL, Adaptive Technology Lending Library
- Seattle Goodwill Industries
- Seattle International Film Festival, SIFF Education Mobile Youth Workshops
- Somali Family Safety Task Force, Somali Digital Access and Literacy
- Year Up Puget Sound
- Young Women Empowered, Y-WE Code
