Comcast Announces $250,000 Grant to Fund Digital Navigators at 26 Chicago Public Library Branches, Plans to Donate 1,000 Laptops to 10 City Non-profits
September 19 2023 - 3:10PM
Business Wire
Company leaders join Chicago Mayor Brandon
Johnson and Chicago Public Library Commissioner Chris Brown to
announce the next phase of its more than decade-long initiative to
make digital equity a reality in Chicago
National and local Comcast leaders joined Chicago Mayor Brandon
Johnson and Chicago Public Library (CPL) Commissioner Chris Brown
today to announce a $250,000 donation to the Chicago Public Library
Foundation to fund digital navigators at 26 city library branches.
Digital navigators are professionals who link Chicagoans to
resources that can help them build the digital skills needed to
succeed in school, participate in the workforce and connect to
programs that can help them access and pay for broadband Internet
service at home, including:
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Comcast Announces $250,000 Grant to fund
Digital Navigators at 26 Chicago Public Library branches (Photo:
Business Wire)
- Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a federal program which
can provide up to $30 per month toward the cost of eligible
households’ Internet and mobile bills;
- Chicago Connected, which provides Internet service for free to
eligible households with Chicago Public Schools students; and
- Internet Essentials, a Comcast program that provides low-cost
Internet service at home to eligible low-income households with
students of all ages, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities
and public housing residents. Internet Essentials has helped nearly
900,000 Chicagoans connect to the Internet at home since it
launched in 2011. The ACP can cover the full cost of Internet
Essentials, making it free for eligible households.
“The digital divide disproportionately impacts Chicago’s South
and West side communities and has a severe, detrimental impact on
our youth and our students,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “I am
proud to stand here alongside Chicago Public Library, Comcast and
our community partners to announce additional efforts to address
this longstanding barrier to achievement and employment, and help
Chicagoans thrive well into the 21st century.”
“More than a decade ago, Comcast set out to close the digital
divide. We envisioned a network of community partners and programs
that would empower Chicagoans with the tools to be exceptional in
the 21st century: broadband internet, a computer and digital skills
training,” said Broderick Johnson, Comcast’s Executive Vice
President of Public Policy and Digital Equity. “Since then, the
city, the libraries, Comcast and hundreds of community-based
organizations have been on a journey to make digital equity a
reality in Chicago, and we’ve made significant progress.”
"In Chicago today, our libraries aren't just about books –
they're gateways to the digital world. Everyone deserves the skills
to thrive online," said Commissioner Chris Brown. "With Comcast's
invaluable support, we're making strides to ensure that. Beyond
technology, it's about equipping every Chicagoan with the tools and
confidence for a promising future."
This latest donation is on top of $500,000 in grants Comcast
made to the foundation from 2017 through 2019 to establish
“experience labs” at 11 CPL branches. Experience labs are
designated spaces where community organizations and other providers
can deliver digital skills training and other services to library
patrons.
Comcast also to donate 1,000 laptops to 10 Chicago non-profit
organizations
In line with the city’s recent efforts to help more residents
get computers, Comcast also announced plans to donate 1,000 laptops
to 10 community-based non-profit organizations in Chicago to
provide to people they serve.
Following is a list of the CPL branches that will use funding
from Comcast to support digital navigators and the city non-profits
that will receive laptop donations.
CPL Branch
Neighborhood
Austin
Austin
Back of the Yards
Back of the Yards
Chicago Lawn
Chicago Lawn
Douglass
Douglass
Edgewater
Edgewater
Greater Grand Crossing
Greater Grand Crossing
Harold Washington Library Center
Chicago Loop
Humboldt Park
Humboldt Park
Kelly
Englewood
King
Bronzeville
Legler Regional
West Garfield Park
Little Village
Little Village
North Austin
North Austin
Pullman
Pullman
Richard M. Daley
Humboldt Park
Rogers Park
East Rogers Park
Sherman Park
Englewood
South Chicago
South Chicago
South Shore
South Shore
Sulzer Regional
Lincoln Square
Thurgood Marshall
Auburn-Gresham
Toman
Little Village
West Chicago Avenue
Austin
West Englewood
West Englewood
West Pullman
West Pullman
Woodson Regional
Washington Heights
Non-Profit
Neighborhood
Access Living
Near North Side
Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago CC’s
Little Village Club
Little Village
Bright Star Community Outreach
Grand Boulevard
BUILD Chicago
Austin
Chicago Urban League
Grand Boulevard
Chinese American Service League
Chinatown
Obama Foundation
Hyde Park
PODER
Gage Park
YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago
West Rogers Park
YWCA Metropolitan Chicago
Woodlawn
The grant funding and laptop donations announced today are part
of Project UP, Comcast’s 10-year, $1 billion commitment to help
make digital equity a reality in communities the company serves in
Chicago and elsewhere across its footprint. To that end, Comcast
has made more than $91 million in cash and in-kind donations to
community-based organizations in Illinois over the last three
years, mostly to initiatives designed to foster digital equity. In
addition, Comcast partnered with community-based organizations
starting in 2020 to create Lift Zones, safe places where kids and
adults can access free high-speed WiFi and learn digital skills.
Today, there are Lift Zones in 48 community centers across the city
and more than 1,250 nationwide.
“Comcast serves all 77 Chicago neighborhoods, and we provide the
same services and the same level of service in each and every one
of them, regardless of the zip code.” said Carl Jones, Jr.,
Comcast’s Regional Vice President of External and Government
Affairs. “This has allowed us to bring Internet Essentials, Lift
Zones and our other digital equity programs to neighborhoods across
the city and help hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans harness the
power of the Internet.”
For more information about Internet Essentials and ACP and its
eligibility requirements, visit www.xfinity.com/free, call
1-855-8INTERNET (1-855-846-8376) or visit a local Xfinity Store.
Click here for information about Comcast’s local digital equity
efforts and presence in Chicago.
About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and
technology company. From the connectivity and platforms we provide,
to the content and experiences we create, our businesses reach
hundreds of millions of customers, viewers, and guests worldwide.
We deliver world-class broadband, wireless, and video through
Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky; produce, distribute, and stream
leading entertainment, sports, and news through brands including
NBC, Telemundo, Universal, Peacock, and Sky; and bring incredible
theme parks and attractions to life through Universal Destinations
& Experiences. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more
information
About Comcast’s Greater Chicago Region
With around 5,000 local employees, Comcast’s Greater Chicago
Region (https://chicago.comcast.com) serves customers in central
and northern Illinois, including the Chicago area, Northern Indiana
and Southwest Michigan. “Like” Comcast’s Greater Chicago Region on
Facebook by visiting @Comcast. “Follow” Comcast’s Greater Chicago
Region on Twitter at @ComcastIllinois.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230919578025/en/
Amanda Vallejo Comcast Greater Chicago Region
amanda_vallejo@cable.comcast.com
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