Tech Goes Home (TGH), a leading nonprofit committed to advancing digital equity across Massachusetts, announced that it has received a major new grant from the New England Patriots Foundation. The announcement was made at CSNDC’s Computer Learning Center (CLC), which partners with TGH. Josh Kraft, President of the Foundation, announced the $500,000 grant to support ongoing efforts to connect more households in Boston with affordable, high-quality internet access.
Across Boston, 13 percent of all households currently lack a home broadband connection, which means that more than 80,000 people in the city – children, adults, and seniors – face the daily prospect of trying to work, find educational resources, access healthcare, and more without easy, reliable access to the internet.
“Digital inequity remains an urgent challenge in the City of Boston – especially in communities of color, among our low-income neighbors, for seniors, immigrants, and others who face systemic barriers to access,” said TGH CEO Dan Noyes. “Providing more residents with affordable, reliable internet access is one critical ‘leg of the stool’ to achieve more sustainable, equitable digital access – along with providing digital devices and relevant digital skills training. The generous support of the Patriots Foundation will enable us to provide the internet to thousands of currently disconnected Bostonians, and to continue working with our committed partners to create long-term pathways to digital access.”
The new grant funding from the Patriots Foundation – which follows an initial grant made in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic – will enable TGH to provide one-year internet subscriptions to more than 1,000 households across Boston. It will also allow TGH to ramp up outreach, enrollment, and education efforts to help connect residents to resources like the Affordable Connectivity Program, a federal program that provides subsidized internet and digital devices.
“The New England Patriots Foundation is deeply committed to strengthening our local communities and supporting efforts that build bridges to opportunity and equity for those in greatest need,” said Josh Kraft. “Internet access is something many of us take for granted, but for hundreds of thousands of people across New England it remains the difference between getting a job or being unemployed, between succeeding in school or being shut out, between connecting with loved ones or being isolated. We are proud to partner with Tech Goes Home to make affordable, reliable internet access a reality for thousands more people and uplift all of our communities.”
Equipped with a stable home internet connection, more Bostonians will be able to apply for jobs, complete school work, access telehealth, find essential community resources, connect with loved ones, and more. TGH survey results demonstrate the impact: after participating in a TGH course – and earning free internet access – 60 percent of students improved their grades, 73 percent of graduates participated in telehealth, and unemployment rate went from 27 percent before the program to 15 percent after the program. Within a year of completing a TGH program, 81 percent of graduates got a new job, got a better job, had a pay raise, entered a work training program, entered a new education program, or started a business.
