The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) is thrilled to share the incredible achievements detailed in the New York Digital Inclusion Fund (NYDIF) Innovation Grant Final Report! The NYDIF has fueled groundbreaking work in digital inclusion across New York State through partnerships, creative design, and a dedication to excellence in service delivery.
Over the course of two years, ten Innovation grantees were funded, leading to the creation and expansion of vital digital inclusion programs that address barriers to connectivity, devices, and digital skills. This initiative, which ran from January 1, 2022, to September 30, 2024, has had a profound and lasting impact.
A Snapshot of Statewide Impact
The grantees—split into two cohorts—led digital inclusion programs in eight of New York’s ten economic development regions, from the Capital District to Western New York. Through their community-centered approach, 8,050 unique program participants benefited from these programs between January 2022 and September 2024. The work of the cohort has been instrumental, spurring innovation and positively impacting the lives of many New Yorkers, including older adults, veterans, people with disabilities, low-income families, BIPOC communities, New Americans, and those impacted by the judicial system. This work helps achieve job placement, financial security, housing stability, and educational attainment for New Yorkers.
Highlights of the grantees’ collective key achievements:
- Extensive Digital Skills Training: Grantees provided digital skills instruction to 11,066 participants through courses ranging from basic essentials to advanced training in fields like web development and Python. Many participants enrolled in multiple courses, contributing to the higher total.
- Appropriate Devices: 1,581 participants received their own devices to keep, including laptops, tablets, Chromebooks, and assistive technology. An additional
578 participants accessed loaner devices for training. - Home Connectivity: Grantees helped 1,916 participants stay connected at home by providing hotspots and Wi-Fi-enabled devices (to keep or on loan). They also supported 1,018 participants in accessing the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) for home broadband.
- Community Wi-Fi & Access: 25 buildings (including 20 low-income housing properties) were connected to or upgraded with Wi-Fi, ensuring 2,217 residents could access connectivity in their homes. Additionally, 107 kiosks and computers were established for use in public lab environments.
Digital Navigation Services: Grantees significantly enhanced support, meeting with 2,331 participants in person for one-on-one sessions, 2,663 participants by phone or virtually, and 489 participants in small group settings. These personalized one-on-one sessions were deeply impactful, addressing each person’s unique challenges and goals.
Grantees Paving the Way for Digital Equity
The NYDIF Innovation Grantees effectively transformed concepts into robust, ongoing program models, generating impactful change.
CanCode Communities expanded its reach across New York, developing networks for digital literacy and specialized workforce training like Front End Web Development and Python for Data Analytics. This expansion included partnerships with the NYS Office for New Americans to reach migrant farm workers and immigrant/refugee communities, as well as a collaboration with GE for internships that led to full-time tech employment for trainees.
Hispanic Federation boosted the technical and digital infrastructure of five Latino-led and serving NYC community-based organizations (CBOs) through subgrants, addressing needs like quality devices, IT infrastructure, and Wi-Fi. This work enabled one CBO, Exodus Transitional Community, to place over 200 formerly incarcerated individuals into new jobs.
OATS from AARP’s Senior Planet project empowered 1,224 older adults in rural North Country, providing essential digital skills training through in-person workshops and a licensing program for 28 library sites.
The HOPE Program served an additional 300 students and implemented its immersive 40-hour remote digital literacy program.
Westchester Library System’s Reconnect with Tech program provided “on-ramp” digital skills training and device ownership to 144 justice-impacted adults reentering society, fostering confidence and a crucial lifeline through technology.
A Foundation for the Future
Using the NYDIF as a platform for collaboration, Innovation grantee expanded their reach, strengthened partnerships, and created new opportunities for long-term sustainability.
Community Access, Inc. partnered with Computers4People to empower 350 low-income program participants with personal computing devices, 135 hotspots, and basic computer skills training workshops in Manhattan and the Bronx. Additionally, Community Access upgraded broadband connections in six buildings, providing free wifi to 417 low-income tenants.
Friends & Foundation of the Albany Public Library enhanced their collaboration with the Albany Housing Authority (AHA), providing Wi-Fi connectivity to 14 AHA locations, distributing 105 Chromebooks, and developing their Digital Navigator Program.
Mission: Ignite enacted Tech 360 programs with over 25 partners in the Western and Southern Tier regions in New York. Mission: Ignite, along with these host organizations, helped 1,491 adults achieve their digital inclusion goals and distributed 667 personal computing devices.
The STEM Alliance tackled a high-risk challenge in implementing the Digital Pathways for Empowerment (DP4E) program. A three-way partnership, including The STEM Alliance, Woodfield Cottage, and Resultant, established secure online learning platforms in Woodfield Cottage, a secure juvenile detention center serving detainees aged 13-18, and shifted correctional staff’s attitudes toward using internet-enabled devices for tech education.
Queens Public Library Foundation, a one-year grantee, leveraged insights to make digital inclusion an integral part of its mission, partnering on an applied research project to develop a Digital Equity Ecosystem Framework for Digital Navigators to disseminate nationwide.
Please take a moment to explore the impacts and accomplishments of these ten innovation grantees in the New York Digital Inclusion Fund Innovation Grant Final Report. For more information, contact [email protected].