The City of Portland's Bureau of Planning and Sustainability has introduced a new grant program aimed at addressing the digital divide in Native American communities. The bureau's Community Technology Digital Equity Program is providing digital skills training through the Digital Inclusion Fund (DI Fund). According to the city's announcement, the program includes two types of grants—the Foundations grant and the Futures grant—designed to provide urban Native Americans with technology skills.
Recent surveys have shown that approximately 20% of Native students in Portland Public Schools lack regular high-speed internet access. These statistics, along with U.S. Census findings that about 10% of American Indian or Alaska Native populations are without a computer or broadband internet, underline the need to quickly address these shortfalls. As per a report by the National Urban Indian Family Coalition, the digital disparity affects nearly a third of urban Native households, marking a significantly higher rate compared to Black and Hispanic households.
In an effort to combat this issue, the Digital Inclusion Fund's new grants are designed to increase access and enhance digital skills, which are crucial for both education and workforce development. The program hopes to provide more accurate understanding and mapping of community needs by building trust and strengthening connections within the Native communities. Furthermore, it opens up opportunities for career exploration in tech fields among its participants.
The eligible project activities include a wide array of digital skills training, from computer basics, internet navigation, and email usage to more advanced topics such as prompt engineering for AI applications and coding. In an effort to effectively tailor the training, the Foundations grant focuses on introductory and intermediate skills, while the Futures grant pushes to prepare recipients for high-level tech professions. Funding amounts are set at $130,000 for Foundations and $150,000 for Futures, with the projects spanning two years from June 2025 to June 2027.
Applications for the grants are currently open to nonprofit community-based organizations or educational institutions serving the Native American community in Portland. The deadline to submit an application is 11:59 p.m. PT on March 26, with submissions accepted through the City of Portland Grants Portal. For those facing difficulties with online applications, the bureau has provided alternative means of submission, and the Digital Equity Coordinator, Alonso Melendez, can be reached at [email protected] for assistance.
