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City of Seattle
NOTE: This news release has been retained for historical use ONLY! While the text was accurate at the date of the release, the contact information may be out of date.
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: Seattle offers funds for community technology projects
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
4/2/2001 9:30:00 AM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Emily Bancroft, (206) 233-2751
Katherine Schubert-Knapp (206) 684-0909
Kathy Sugiyama (206) 684-0909
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Seattle offers funds for community technology projects
SEATTLE — Seattle’s Department of Information Technology is seeking applications for the Technology Matching Fund (TMF), which provides cash to Seattle organizations and neighborhood groups to help fund citizen-driven information technology literacy and access projects. This year, around $115,000 will be awarded in small- (less than $5,000) and large-scale (up to $50,000) grants. The application deadline is 5 p.m., May 21, 2001. Applications are available on-line at http://cityofseattle.net/tech/tmf/, at Neighborhood Service Centers, or by calling (206)684-0600. Two workshops will be held to assist potential applicants:
- April 14, 2001, 10 a.m.,
at Rainier Vista Job Resource Center, 4414 Tamarack Drive South #426, (as part of a community technology meeting); and
- April 17, 2001, 7 p.m.,
at Meadowbrook Community Center,
10517 35th Ave. N.E.
The Technology Matching Fund was established to support the community’s efforts to close the digital divide and encourage a technology-healthy city. A recent technology study by the city’s Department of Information Technology (http://www.cityofseattle.net/tech/) shows that although many Seattle residents have access to computers and the Internet, some groups — such as seniors, limited-English speakers, and those in low- to moderate-income households — are being left behind. The same study also found that while basic computer literacy levels in Seattle are generally high, there is a continued need for more advanced training.
The goal of the technology matching fund is to encourage local groups to think creatively about how they can use technology to meet the needs of their own communities. "Most projects start with a community need, then apply technology to solve it," says Emily Bancroft of the Department of Information Technology. "For example, projects may develop community computer labs, teach Internet and e-mail skills, use technology for community organizing, create multi-media projects or help the public understand policy issues, such as privacy on the Internet."
"We especially encourage applications for projects that provide or enhance services to limited English-speakers, the disabled community or the homeless, and those that increase the marketing of community technology programs," Bancroft says. "Of course, other projects will be considered for funding and innovative projects are always encouraged."
Sample project lists are available, and applicants are encouraged to contact city staff with their ideas by calling Emily Bancroft or JoanE O’Brien at (206)684-0600. Last year’s grant recipients included:
- Ethiopian Community Mutual Association.
$36,200 to equip community center with up-to-date computer systems and peripherals for training and Internet access.
- Washington State Neighborhood Networks Consortium.
$13,000 to expand "Connecting Seattle," a program to connect computer labs in low-income housing complexes to new computers and Internet access.
- SCAN — Seattle Community Access Television, Inc
. $5,000 to plan an ongoing intergenerational oral history project to be produced through the public access cable television facility and to include a web component.
For more information, an application or to review previous projects, visit the Citizens Technology Literacy and Access web site at http://cityofseattle.net/tech/
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Citizens Technology Literacy and Access
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