- UK online centres provide millions of people with access to technology and support in using it, at 3,800 local centres across England. They offer free or low cost access to the internet and email, deliver online courses and encourage people to progress onto further learning. Visit www.ukonlinecentres.com.
- The Nominet Trust is a UK registered charity which supports organisations and projects working to increase access to the internet, promote online safety and education, and who apply an innovative use of the internet to help improve communities.
- Grants will be available to for both revenue and capital expenditure. Applications will be welcomed from any community IT centre in England, but centres will need to sign-up as UK online centres partners as part of their application. Successful applicants will be able to demonstrate they can:
- Deliver a social impact as a result of their activity
- Evidence their community as being ‘hard to reach’
- Hold at least one supported training session per week
- Take part in Get online week in a meaningful way
- Attract people that have never used the internet before, or don’t have the skills and confidence to go online without support
- Collect/collate evidence of their learners’ contact details for evaluation purposes.
Monday 25 Jul 2011 @ 13:02
Online Centres Network
Online Centres Network
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New funding for community IT projects
Community IT projects could get a boost this summer, thanks to a new round of funding from Nominet Trust and UK online centres.
Nominet Trust is a charity supporting internet-based projects that improve lives and communities, and they’ve teamed up with UK online centres –the organisation behind the 3,800 strong network of centres offering access to computers and the internet and support to use them. Together, they’re providing new grant funding for grassroots organisations working in the heart of communities to get more people online.
The Community Outreach Fund will support innovative outreach projects, where organisations are working with local partners to reach new offline audiences in new locations. Projects will be required to show the impact of their work on both individuals and the wider community.
UK online centres will be administrating the grants, and Managing Director Helen Milner explains: “Making computers and the internet relevant is absolutely key in getting the 9 million or so left offline to give online life a go, and that’s as much about location as it is about learning content. It’s not enough to wait for people to step through the doors of a college, library or community centre – we’ve got to take the internet out to where they live, work or socialise. We’re looking for projects that think outside the box about how and where they go to inspire and help people get online.”
Nominet Trust’s Director Annika Small added: “The Nominet Trust believes in the internet as a force for social good. We fund projects that help people get online, be safe online, and change their world for the better. We are delighted to be working with UK online centres to promote groundbreaking new ways of helping communities to use the internet.”
The Community Outreach Fund opens today, and applications will close on 15 August. Grants of up to £5,000 are available, and projects will be delivered between September 2011 and March 2012.
To find out more about the grants, or to complete the simple application form, please visit http://www.ukonlinecentres.com/corporate-pages/community-outreach-grant-funding.html.
For more information on this press release, please contact Anna Geraghty at UK online centres on 07887 626 148 or ageraghty@ufi.com. For more information on the Nominet Trust, please contact: Lizzie Earl at Frank PR on lizzieearl@frankpr.it 0207 693 6999.
Notes to editors
