Giving Tuesday brought many appeals to bolster nonprofits and organizations that have a positive impact on the community.
For community ISP Project Waves, it was a chance to provide a look at its work during a year when the need to close the digital divide has come into stark relief amid the pandemic. Through Facebook Live on the Digital Harbor Foundation’s page, leaders provided updates on their work to connect households to the internet in a city where 96,000 households lack wireline access in the community, alongside a call to action to donate.
Over the next year, Project Waves is funded to connect 250 households to the Project Waves network in partnership with National Science Foundation, said Project Waves founder and director Adam Bouhmad. The project includes a study that follows what happens when residents gain internet access, and how it changes opportunities.
With the $115,315 RAPID grant, the organization is working together with community-based groups during the pandemic to provide free internet connectivity to previously disconnected households across Baltimore city. Residents who receive connectivity will also receive wraparound digital literacy services. Project Waves is working with UMBC’s Dr. Foad Hamidi the Digital Harbor Foundation, which is the fiscal sponsor of Project Waves, on this project.
