Dr. Colin Rhinesmith, Director of the Digital Equity Research Center recently completed an evaluation of the Centri Tech Foundation’s Digital Integrators Pilot Program. The Centri Tech Foundation launched a new website today that features findings from the pilot program evaluation report, titled “Community-Based Solutions for Digital Advancement: Findings from the Digital Integrators Pilot Program.”
As the website explains, “The foundation awarded $195,000 to community development organizations working in five U.S. cities to connect digital skills to equitable economic development. Our aim was to highlight community based approaches for digital advancement that could inform local digital equity planning efforts.”
The five organizations that participated in the pilot program and were featured in the program evaluation report included: Equitable Internet Initiative, Detroit, Michigan; ExCITe Center at Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; LIFT-NY, Bronx, New York; Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Boston, Massachusetts; and Byte Back, Washington, DC.
As the report’s Executive Summary explains, “Rhinesmith applied a digital equity ecosystems framework to gain a deeper understanding of the role Digital Integrators play in promoting digital advancement in their communities with other organizations and individuals. Through interviews with directors and staff members of the organizations and observations of grantee cohort meetings, Rhinesmith identified three essential success factors and lessons learned. These are presented together as a community development framework for digital advancement.”
The website also features community stories from the Digital Integrators pilot program organizations as well as additional resources from the program.
