ZeroDivide Coordinates Partners Across 13 States in Proposal for Broadband Stimulus Funding

ZeroDivide is taking an innovative approach towards securing a share of the federal stimulus funding for its communities by coordinating a proposal to the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP). The California-based foundation is partnering with 44 anchor institutions throughout 13 western, mid-western and northeastern states for this first of three rounds of Broadband Stimulus funding.

Over the past 10 years, ZeroDivide has invested nearly $50 million in innovative programming that has encouraged sustainable adoption of technology, including broadband, in vulnerable communities.

ZeroDivide's proposal is a strategic initiative to spark relevant community solutions, increasing demand for broadband and assisting broadband adoption through an intermediary strategy that will advance two of BTOP's stated objectives:

1. Provide broadband education, awareness, training, access, equipment, and support to community anchor institutions, job-creating strategic facilities, and vulnerable populations; and
2. Stimulate demand for broadband.

The foundation's approach seeks to build community among the 44 Partners, across geographies and populations, to share lessons learned and best practices, and to provide a scalable range of resources.  The programmatic focus on content development includes: Media Production and Distribution, Online Curriculum Development, Civic Engagement and Technology Capacity Building.

An analysis of ZeroDivide's grantee portfolios emphasized that complex barriers to broadband adoption vary among different populations and cannot always be resolved with a one-size-fits-all approach. Many organizations with promising solutions are doing critical work to promote technology and broadband in vulnerable communities, but are unable to apply for federal grants on their own.

The initiative will build Partners' capacity to understand, design and use broadband technology through systematic teaching, training, and technical assistance; provide resources to this peer-based network of community anchor institutions; and leverage technology to benefit vulnerable communities throughout the U.S.

To learn more about ZeroDivide's work, please visit ZeroDivide.org.

To learn more about how your foundation can be involved with the 2nd and 3rd rounds of Broadband Stimulus funding, please contact Jeff Perlstein, GFEM Program Director, at jperlstein@gfem.org.