Through these partnerships we will deliver 3,500 Chromebooks, 547 iPads, digital literacy training, assistive technology accessories, Internet for 1 year for 500 community members through Chromebooks with LTE connectivity, and financial assistance to cover the cost of a year of Internet service for up to 8,429 Portland residents. Learn more about our CARES Act Digital Divide Project.
Technology Kit project community partners:
A MIRacle Foundation, Inc
African Refugee Immigrant Organization
Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon
Black Education Achievement Movement
Black Mental Health Oregon
Bradley Angle
Brown Hope
Ethiopian and Eritrean Cultural and Resources Center
Hacienda Community Development Corporation
Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization
KairosPDX
Latino Network
Native American Youth and Family Center
North by Northeast Community Health Center
Portland Indigenous Marketplace
Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center, Inc.
Self Enhancement, Inc.
Somali American Council of Oregon
The Arc of Multnomah-Clackamas Counties
The Islamic Center of Portland, Masjed As-Saber
The National Association for Black Veterans, Inc. Portland Chapter #0032
The Rosewood Initiative
Urban League of Portland
Verde
We know the demand for technology and Internet access continues to be high. This response is a collaboration led in partnership with community to address the increased risk of digital exclusion due to COVID-19. For the CARES Act project, we had 113 organizations apply with requests for a total of 21,152 Chromebooks, 5,379 iPads, and Internet assistance for 23,276 people. We will continue to seek out and build partnerships to address these needs.
Selection Process
The Work Group’s Executive Team, made up of community members and City staff, reviewed the applications. They used the following criteria to determine which community partners would be invited to take part in the project:
Primary community focus of the organization is Black, Indigenous, people of color or people living with disabilities, or a combination.
Have experience providing direct services for the communities they serve.
Board members, leadership, and staff are majority Black, Indigenous, people of color and/or have a disability.
Partnering with smaller organizations to build new relationships and digital community capacity are goals of the Work Group. Around half of the selected partners have six or less full-time employees. Approximately 30% have four or less full-time employees.
Technology Kit applicants shared information about the communities they serve. The following image summarizes this information for all 113 applicant organizations and the selected 24 community partners. Communities served by our partners reflect the identities across all applicants. Communities may identify with more than one category listed in the images.
View the Work Group Charter.