E2D hires high school and college students to be lab technicians’ to produce refurbished laptops with new operating systems and unrestricted access to the internet. They provide these computers to families for a very low cost or for free. E2D works with dozens of other non-profit organizations and wrap-around agencies that also serve families with need, such as The United Way, Habitat for Humanity, and the Federal McKinney-Vento Homeless program. Lastly, E2D works with some corporate philanthropists to cover the full purchase price for a certain constituency or select group of recipients, like Charter/Spectrum does annually, directing free laptops to Charlotte’s home insecure populations.

InterConnection is a Seattle based non-profit that has been working to bridge the digital divide since 1999. They do this through redistribution of refurbished computers. All of the computers they work with are donated, and those that cannot be reused are recycled and diverted from landfills.

In order to get this refurbished technology back into the community, they work closely with community organizations around the country who help get this technology directly into the hands of the community members they serve. They work with these organizations through internal programs, partnerships to facilitate technology distribution, and specific made-to-request orders from organizations. They also have an in-person store in Seattle and two websites where folks can purchase technology directly:  InterConnection.org/retailstore is a site for the general public, and ConnectAll.org site is for qualifying low-income individuals, students, and nonprofit organizations where folks can find heavily marked down technology.

Tech for Troops is a 501c(3) Non-profit based in Richmond Virginia, dedicated to
empower veterans with computer, skills, and Information Technology (IT), providing workforce training, enabling and encouraging veterans to apply for jobs, get online training, start business, manage their VA benefits, and connect with family and friends.

T4T supports Veterans in confronting the lack of a computer and the lack of the skills needed to effectively use that computer by collecting and refurbishing laptops and other devices and providing the refurbished equipment, along with training, to Veterans in need for low or no cost.

ClosingTheDivide (CTD) is a student-driven 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to bridging the digital divide through a variety of initiatives. Their initiatives range from donating computers to underprivileged families, to providing coding classes to thousands of students, to diverting e-waste from landfills. 

They implement these initiatives through two avenues: e-waste collection and digital literacy promotion. Through their e-waste program, they recycle or refurbish used devices to help the environment and create a new supply of devices to donate. They also provide free coding classes taught by high school students to use skills and inspire passion in local youth to follow a career path in the emerging STEM field.

Based in northern Illinois, ConnectWaukegan is an initiative of the Waukegan Community Broadband Taskforce, a public private collective impact effort focusing on underserved communities in Lake County. Through digital inclusion work, ConnectWaukegan is committed to the activities necessary to ensure that all individuals and communities, including the most disadvantaged, have access to and use of information and communication technologies.

 By utilizing the Digital Navigator just in time model, the ConnectWaukegan team helps community members register for the Affordable Connectivity Program, apply the benefit to an internet service provider, access technology support, and assess technology and digital skill building needs.  ConnectWauekgan is currently exploring the feasibility of a fixed wireless solution (read their proof of concept here) and the Community Connection Center model as a means of providing resources to community members.

Urban Tech Hero takes young people in disadvantaged communities heading for a life of poverty, offers them best-in-class technical training at no cost, and helps them land tech jobs that suit their strengths.

Founded in 1984 to offer a media voice to underrepresented people, SPNN is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit that has since grown to harness its unique media tools, digital communications expertise, and spirit of innovation to elevate community media arts to a new level, becoming a national model. SPNN improves community social, civic, and economic equity via the transformative art of media making and 21st century skill-building. Their mission is: to empower people to use media and communications to better lives, use authentic voice, and build common understanding. They utilize the power of technology to:

• Develop the personal and artistic expression of underrepresented people in media.
• Foster arts experimentation and collaboration among young people, emerging artists, and partners.
• Create meaningful connections between diverse arts voices and the broader community.
• Increase 21st century work-readiness skills of underserved youth and adults.

Peer 2 Peer University (or simply P2PU) is a non-profit organization that facilitates equitable learning beyond institutional walls. Founded in 2008, P2PU has grown into a distributed community of educators, librarians, activists, policy-makers, and technologists. P2PU trains librarians and community leaders to facilitate learning in their neighborhoods, develops and curates open educational resources and software, and champions related causes including open education, digital equity, and public libraries.