Regional Nonprofits Focus on Connecting Individuals to Affordable Broadband and Devices

The KC Regional COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund recently awarded approximately $800,000 to organizations in the metro area to address internet access, devices and training. The Mid-America Regional Council acted as an agent on behalf of its Advisory Board to facilitate the application and fund disbursement through the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. 

Grantees from the 9-county region include: 

  1. aSTEAM Village
  2. Catholic Charities of NE Kansas
  3. ECKAN – East Central KS Economic Opportunity Corp. 
  4. El Centro
  5. Essential Families
  6. Front Porch Alliance
  7. Goodwill of Western MO & Eastern KS 
  8. Groundwork NE
  9. Guadalupe Centers
  10. Hispanic Economic Development Corp.
  11. JCCC – Adult Education
  12. Jewish Vocational Service
  13. Kansas City, KS Public Library
  14. KC Digital Drive*
  15. Kansas City Public Library
  16. Kearney Enrichment Council
  17. Latinx Education Collaborative
  18. Mattie Rhodes
  19. Metropolitan Lutheran Ministry
  20. My Father’s House Community Services
  21. Northland Shepherd’s Center
  22. Osawatomie Public Library
  23. Parkville Living Center
  24. PCs for People
  25. The Toolbox
  26. Urban TEC

*KC Digital Drive received a grant of $40,000 to be used as matching funds for its regional FCC-funded Mid-America ACP Outreach Campaign, allocating the match to over $150,000 designated to fund local outreach partners for conducting specific ACP awareness and enrollment assistance activities over the campaign’s 12-month term. Along with expansion of the KC Goes Tech program, these funds will provide direct support and capacity building to at least 25 more additional organizations.

Further Reading

MO Goes Tech Launches with Open Call for Microgrant Applications

MO Goes Tech aims to expand the capacity of community-service organizations with established client relationships to add digital training and navigation to their service offerings, including enrollment in the Affordable Connectivity Program, and access to computers or tablets to ensure their clients have the tools they need to fully participate in the digital economy.

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Learning from the Broadband Journey of Spring Hill and Miami County

Broadband Expansion in Spring Hill and Miami County For many years, the town of Spring Hill Kansas struggled to attract internet providers interested in building high-speed broadband networks for its residents. Spring Hill often found itself being overlooked by providers and outside observers, who assumed that all of the towns in Johnson County were already […]

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