STAMFORD, Conn.—Charter Communications is awarding $1.1 million to 46 nonprofit organizations through its Spectrum Digital Education grant program.
With this latest round of grants, Charter has committed more than $9 million to the initiative, which supports broadband technology programs, education and training in unserved and underserved communities throughout Charter’s service area.
“The importance of expanding access to essential broadband technologies, education and training is profound in our increasingly digital world,” said Rahman Khan, group vice president of community impact, Charter. “Through the 2023 Spectrum Digital Education grant program, Charter is partnering with valued nonprofits that share our commitment to create better opportunities for the communities we serve.”
This year, 21 nonprofits were awarded a Spectrum Digital Education grant for the first time, including Serving Older Adults of Southeast Wisconsin in Milwaukee, which provides access to technology training and devices for seniors; Compudopt, which offers free technology access and education to under-resourced local residents in and around the Dallas, Texas area; and Black Connect in Wesley Chapel, Florida, which is dedicated to eliminating the racial wealth gap facing Black Americans by increasing the number and success rate of Black-owned businesses, the company reported.
Additional 2023 recipients include Kramden Institute in Durham, North Carolina, which has been awarded five grants through Spectrum Digital Education totaling $170,000. With this latest round of funding, Kramden Institute will partner with housing authorities and community organizations to deliver basic computer skills education and free, refurbished computers to participants, Charter said.
Hispanic Federation is an eight-time recipient, having been awarded $275,000 through the program, and will use the additional funding to launch a mobile Spectrum Learning Hub to provide workforce training to low-income Latino residents and farmworkers in the Wimauma, Florida area.
“Our reliance on digital tools to connect us to the world around us is growing by the day, whether at work or in our daily lives,” said Frankie Miranda, president and CEO, Hispanic Federation. “Through our partnership with Charter’s Spectrum Digital Education program, we’re making sure Latino families don’t get left behind and receive the training they need to strengthen their twenty-first century skills and thrive in our increasingly digital world.”
Since the 2017 launch of Spectrum Digital Education, Charter has awarded 261 grants to 143 unique partners. As of September 2023, the program has helped to fund more than 30,000 digital education classes, distribute over 13,000 devices including laptops and support the creation of 157 tech labs.
From the nearly 250 eligible applications received, 46 nonprofit organizations across 14 states were selected. The full list of the recipients can be found here.
