The Niagara University has received $9.2 million in Federal funding to address barriers to digital equity faced by low-income individuals, aging populations, individuals with disabilities, and historically marginalized populations throughout the City of Niagara Falls, N.Y.
The university will use the funding to support internet access in underserved sections of the city and training opportunities in basic digital literacy, internet safety, accessing healthcare resources online, and accessibility features that bridge long-standing digital divides.
The funding will support the school’s five-year Niagara Falls Access and Education Project that aims to expand library services, computer infrastructure, and digital training for more than 2,000 individuals currently without sufficient internet access, and provide computer training to thousands of local residents including students in the Niagara Falls City School District. Additionally, the university will open a public computer center at its new Academic Innovation Hub.
As part of the project, Niagara University students will work with local organizations through paid opportunities in research, teaching, and coaching, and faculty will help shape new curricula and microcredential programs to help local residents through technology-related education and resources.
“As the lead educational anchor institution, Niagara University is proud to convene a diverse group of community partners to address critical barriers to digital equity in the City of Niagara Falls,” said Dr. Karen Kwandrans, the university’s associate vice president of strategic and external relations. “This project will address one of the top community needs identified during focus groups that the university convened with city residents.”
The initiative is a collaboration between Niagara University and its community partners, including the City of Niagara Falls, the Niagara Falls Public Library, Independent Living Center, Jewish Family Services, Niagara Falls City School District, Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, Community Health Center of Niagara, and M&T Bank.
“Our ability to partner with Niagara University on this grant is another example of the deep partnership we have with the university,” said City of Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino. “This grant will provide digital access to many areas of the city that lack or have limited digital access.”
The grant funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program created by the Digital Equity Act.
