The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability’s Community Technology Program is awarding a one-time grant of $76,600 to Free Geek to support the hiring of a Coalition Manager who will lead the reimagination of the Digital Inclusion Network into a community-centered and community-led Digital Inclusion Coalition.
Free Geek, is a Portland-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to sustainably reuse technology, enable digital access and provide education to create a community that empowers people to realize their potential.
The Digital Inclusion Network (“DIN”) is currently an unincorporated network of public institutions and community organizations established in 2014, working collectively to raise awareness about barriers to internet access and develop solutions to bridging the digital divide through sharing resources and best practices, implementing programs and projects, and influencing public policy.
In March of 2022, the Community Technology program engaged ASCETA, LLC., a woman-owned, woman-led firm in the Portland Metropolitan area, to lead the reimagination of the Digital Inclusion Network (DIN) by the community and partners toward addressing digital equity barriers and developing solutions to bridging the digital divide in Multnomah County and to re-envision how we meet our collective goals for full digital inclusion.
Following a five-month human-centered design engagement process, the Community Technology Program received the ASCETA Final Report and Recommendations in August 2022., which outlined a Coalition Framework, Coalition Structure, and a set of Insights and Recommendations.
In response to these community-identified needs, the Community Technology program seeks to award a one-time grant of $76,600 to support the hiring of a Coalition manager to lead the reimagination of the Digital Inclusion Network into a community-led and community-centered Digital Inclusion Coalition.
The Coalition will center those with lived experiences of digital exclusion and be dedicated to bridging the digital divide and achieving digital equity throughout Multnomah County for the following priority communities: Black people, people with low income, Indigenous people, people of color, people with disabilities, people with language barriers [immigrants, refugees, ESL], seniors, houseless or facing housing insecurity, youth—particularly foster and children with special needs and their families, survivors of domestic violence, people impacted by incarceration, and adult learners.
The goals of the Digital Inclusion Coalition Grant are:
- To support the hiring of a coalition manager to lead the transformation of the Digital Inclusion Network (DIN) into a community-led and community-centered Digital Inclusion Coalition:
- The grantee will create a “leadership team” made up of community members and/or leaders who are directly connected to priority communities and/or have lived experience, whose task will be to guide the work and lead the coalition in a 1–2-year position; convene meetings, establish “sub workgroups" and track and report the progress.
- The “sub-committees” are project-focused in areas geared towards closing the digital divide and addressing policy and budget opportunities and prioritization that can come in the form of recommendations to the City of Portland, Multnomah County, and State and Federal agencies or policymakers.
- Members of the “sub-committees" should be made up of those with insight into on-the-ground activities or who operate programs that address digital equity, people with specific knowledge of issues and opportunities, those with lived experiences and the ability to lead coalition projects, and time-bound tasks.
- The grantee will design, develop, and implement a Coalition plan, timeline, framework/structure/guidelines, and community agreements by continuing to further collaborate with priority communities impacted by the digital divide to ensure authentic inclusion and impact.
- Work with the “leadership team” and the broader coalition to develop a mission and vision statement to support the collective vision for closing the Digital Divide gap in Multnomah County.
- Lead an engagement and outreach process of priority communities for inclusion and coalition participation by following ASCETAs recommendations and continuing to iterate learnings.
- Grantee shall ensure that all print and digital communications and civic engagement materials are accessible according to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.