The City of Bloomington is awarding a total of $50,000 in digital equity grants to thirteen local nonprofits.
The digital equity grants support Bloomington-based nonprofits efforts to increase digital resources for residents. The grants are funded from the Information & Technology Services Department’s regular annual budget. This is the fifth year of the grant program.
Digital equity is defined by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance as “a condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy.”
“Digital access is no longer a luxury. It is a necessity for participating in education, healthcare, employment, and civic life,” says Mayor Kerry Thomson in a press release. “By partnering with these incredible local nonprofits, we are creating opportunities for a more inclusive and equitable community, making certain our residents have the tools they need to thrive in our connected world.”
This year's recipients will use the funds on projects that address digital equity challenges. The grant program sought proposals that facilitate access to broadband services, increase access to computing devices to effectively use the internet, cultivate the knowledge and digital skills needed to secure the benefits of the internet and digital technology, and mitigate community digital equity gaps identified in the City's digital equity strategic plan.
Here is the complete list of nonprofits and their rewards:
Area 10 Agency on Aging – Creating Digital Literacy Opportunities for Monroe & Owen County Seniors – $7,000
Bloomington Food Policy Council – City wide Food resource sign up and storage expansion – $870
Boys & Girls Clubs of Bloomington – Bee Safe Online 2024-2025 – $6,000
Courage to Change Sober Living – Courage to Change New House Computer, Printer/scanner/ paper/ ink and Internet Access – $1,300
Indiana Recovery Alliance – Digital Equity Connection to Care Program – $2,700
Middle Way House, Inc. – YES! Program: Bringing Digital Equity to Youth Empowerment Services – $1,910
Mobility Aids Lending Library Inc. – Mobility Aids Lending Library – $6,500
Monroe County Public Library – Enhancing the Circulating iPad Collection at Monroe County Public Library – $8,800
Monroe County United Ministries (MCUM) – Expanding Digital Resource Accessibility and Digital Needs Funding – $3,970
New Leaf, New Life – Office Internet & Printer Access – $1,600
Stone Belt Arc, Inc. – VR for VR - Virtual Reality for Vocational Rehabilitation – $3,000
The Overlook, a project of The Center for Sustainability Living – The Overlook Internet and Training ( ONT ) – $5,100
Wheeler Mission--Bloomington – Mobilizing Digital Equity Among Individuals Experiencing Homelessness – $1,250
