PHILADELPHIA—The Digital Literacy Alliance (DLA) today announced its Fall 2024 grant cycle recipients. The latest cycle focused on innovative community engagement practices that address digital inclusion through resident volunteers, peer leadership, and/or community ambassador models.
The Independence Public Media Foundation awarded the Digital Literacy Alliance $157,000 to support this particular set of initiatives. AT&T also supported with a matching grant of $25,000 to one of the organizations awarded. In total, $205,000 was awarded to six organizations to engage community ambassadors for digital inclusion and bring their programs to life.
“The goal of the Digital Literacy Alliance is to lift up promising ideas that connect digital inclusion to Philadelphia’s highest need communities, and this year we’re excited to activate local residents to take on this charge,” said Juliet Fink Yates, Broadband and Digital Inclusion Manager for the City’s Office of Innovation and Technology.
“This funding supports the growth of the valuable ecosystem of local residents helping their neighbors, friends, and family members get connected to the City’s Digital Equity programs,” said Melissa A. Scott, Chief Information Officer, City of Philadelphia. “The Digital Literacy Alliance has a vision where all Philadelphians have reliable access to technology, digital skills, and are empowered to leverage those tools for a better life.”
“We are impressed by the Digital Literacy Alliance’s dedication to addressing digital equity by fostering social cohesion,” said Samil Jimenez Magdaleno, IPMF Program Associate. “The coalition recognizes the crucial roles neighbors, families, friends, and community leaders hold within the ecosystem. Their thoughtful collaborations are paving the way for more local residents to gain and maintain digital connectivity. We continue to admire how they nurture the growth of innovative seed projects across the city, creating sustainable pathways to bridge the digital divide.”
The following local groups received two years of funding:
Asian Americans United (AAU): ($30,000)
AAU’s project will create multilingual outreach materials, activate AAU volunteers and youth peer leaders, engage youth participants in AAU’s year-round digital skills workshops, and train volunteers on digital voter engagement tools.
Center in the Park (CIP): ($30,000)
Center in the Park’s project will recruit and train a cohort of older adults to serve as Digital Ambassadors and volunteer peer educators. Volunteers will provide 12-week digital skills training courses at 8 partnering senior housing facilities, other senior centers, and organizations serving older adults in Northwest Philadelphia.
Health Federation ($40,000)
Health Federation’s “Building Digital Resiliency Project,” will place 1-2 Digital Health Navigators within local health care organizations and train existing team members and National Health Corps volunteers across the city in Digital Health Navigation.
Philly Community Wireless (PCW): ($40,000)
Philly Community Wireless will host a series Wi-Fi Town Halls with community-based organizations exploring how community–controlled Wi-Fi networks can connect residents with Philadelphia’s digital equity ecosystem. PCW will develop a Volunteer Guide providing technical instruction and recruit volunteer and community ambassadors.
Temple University Community Gateway ($40,000)
Temple’s Community Gateway program will develop the “Digital Inclusion Discovery Passport” project, a gamification model of digital skills training. They will also promote existing city digital resources to North Philadelphia residents, enabling them to become Ambassadors in their neighborhoods.
The Welcoming Center: ($15,000 + $25,000 from AT&T)
The Welcoming Center’s “Digital Bridge Program” will develop a series of workshops for English language learners using Northstar Digital Literacy and TypingClub. They will train a cohort of TWC participants as Peer Facilitators who will lead the Northstar and TypingClub workshops for immigrant and refugee learners at TWC locations and other community-based venues.
The Digital Literacy Alliance (DLA) is a coalition of digital inclusion partners working to overcome the digital divide in Philadelphia. DLA develops strategies, manages a seed fund, raises funding, and oversees funded programs. The DLA is coordinated by the City’s DigitalEquityPHL team and includes leaders in government, nonprofits, local companies, universities, and more. Members meet monthly for proposal reviews, grant-making, and fundraising.
Since its creation in 2017, the Alliance has facilitated and managed eight grant cycles. Each grant cycle typically forms a cohort of practice that lifts up promising practices. The 2020 Digital Literacy Alliance grantees focused on immigrant and limited english proficiency communities and wrapped up activities in 2023. The DLA recently released an impact report about the 2020 cycle.