About
The KC Digital Inclusion Fund is a charitable fund led by KC Digital Drive and administered at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation (GKCCF) with an Advisory Council.
In 2024, the Fund provided just over $156,000 in grants across (3) fund cycles designed to increase digital inclusion program capacity, and to drive the region toward digital equity.
To make a contribution to the fund, click here.
Fund Name: KC Digital Inclusion Fund
Fund ID: kcdi02
Advisory Council
Adriana Pecina
Health Forward Foundation
Impact Strategist
CiCi Rojas
Tico Productions / Tico Sports LLC
President
Aaron Deacon
KC Digital Drive
Managing Director
Rachel Merlo
Google Fiber
Head of Government and Community Affairs,
Central + OC, CA
History
The Digital Inclusion Fund was originally established in 2013 to support organizations that provide digital training to the elderly and underserved and increase technology access to populations across the divide with funding from Google Fiber, the Sprint Foundation, The Illig Family Foundation, Polsinelli, Global Prairie and JE Dunn, and awarded just under $1M over 33 grants to 11 organizations spanning 5 years.
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2013 > $304,000 granted to 5 organizations
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2014 > $130,000 granted to 6 organizations
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2015 > $200,000 granted to 7 organizations
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2016 > $100,000 granted to 4 organizations
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2017 > $180,000 granted to 8 organizations
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2018 > $7,401 granted to 3 organizations
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2024> $156,260 granted to 15 organizations
KC Digital Drive leads the Fund to support the region’s digital inclusion ecosystem, with a charter to support organizations and programs that focus on digital inclusion access, affordability and adoption to increase participation in digital society for Kansas City’s most underserved and/or disconnected residents.
The Fund's relaunch effort led by KC Digital Drive in 2024 was generously funded by Health Forward Foundation, Kauffman Foundation, Kansas Health Foundation and Google Fiber.