Charter Communications, Inc. on Sep. 16 announced it has doubled its original 2020 commitment to digital education, awarding a total of $1 million in grants to organizations providing broadband education, technology and training.
In all, Charter has awarded 48 of its Spectrum Digital Education grants to nonprofit organizations for programs such as teaching seniors digital skills, setting up technology labs, providing online classes for families that need homework and job support, and purchasing laptops for underserved groups.
Additionally, Charter has boosted the number of organizations the company originally planned to support this year due to increased demand for broadband training during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Through Spectrum Digital Education, Charter is helping to bridge the digital divide in local communities where our customers live and work,” said Rahman Khan, Vice President of Community Impact for Charter.
Khan added, “Providing these resources, with the help of our community nonprofit partners, allows us to empower those in need and further our mission to give individuals the necessary tools to excel in the digital age, skills that are more important than ever during this challenging time.”
With this year’s grants, Charter notes it has surpassed its multi-year commitment to award $6 million in cash and in-kind donations to support broadband education across the company’s 41-state service area.
This year’s recipients are from 15 states and Washington, D.C. They were chosen from 259 eligible applications. Recipients include nonprofits working to empower disadvantaged residents in towns and cities, boost small businesses in rural areas, provide computer assistance to senior citizens, and organizations that meet educational needs for children, including those experiencing homelessness and remote learning challenges.
From its launch in 2017 through July 2020, Spectrum Digital Education has benefitted 41,706 individuals in 17 states and Washington, D.C. Spectrum Digital Education is one of several philanthropic initiatives developed by Charter to support local communities.
These include: Spectrum Housing Assist, which has improved more than 44,000 homes to date, putting it on track to meet its goal of making 50,000 homes safer and healthier by the end of 2020; Spectrum Scholars, a two-year scholarship initiative for college juniors who are underrepresented and in financial need; and Spectrum Employee Community Grants, which supports Charter employees’ volunteer activities and so far has impacted more than 175 critical services organizations in 25 states.
Additionally, through the Spectrum Community Investment Loan Fund, Charter has committed to investing $16 million to support loans to community development financial institutions (CDFIs) in the company’s footprint, and to support Black and other minority-owned small businesses.