Alternative financing for digital adoption initiatives
A wave of funding cuts is putting at risk the digital skills training, device access, and navigator programs that help unconnected Americans get online and use the internet. In this moment of need, we have an opportunity to forge cross-sector partnerships and build alternative funding models that can sustain the digital inclusion sector beyond the peaks and troughs of grant cycles.
Building sustainable funding models
Access to the internet and digital skills is essential for participation in today’s world — but traditional grant funding alone can’t meet the scale or durability of the challenge.
Alongside leading organizations and experts, Connect Humanity is designing and testing alternative financing models that capture the value of connectivity — and reinvest it back into the programs that expand digital opportunity. By blending philanthropy, public funding, and private capital, we aim to create a cycle of reinvestment that keeps communities connected for years to come.
Join us as we pilot solutions, publish insights, and build the financial architecture for a connected future. To learn more and the Alt-Financing Working Group, email samantha@connecthumanity.fund.
Developing a cost-sharing model
Effective digital adoption interventions lead to better outcomes for participants, which in turn generate benefits such as cost savings, efficiency gains, and improved service delivery. These benefits accrue to cross-sector partners — including health, housing, workforce, education, telecoms, and local government.
What if, when these sectors realize this value, they reinvest a portion of it back into the intervention, creating a sustainable funding loop rather than relying on one-time grants?
This concept underpins the Alternative Funding Guide we’re developing, which will show how value-sharing can be applied across sectors to build long-term sustainability for digital inclusion work.
Latest News
News
Mission Telecom backs sustainable funding models for digital adoption
Mission Telecom’s generous support will enable the exploration and development of models that can sustainably fund digital adoption work.
Call for Research
Creating a Sustainable Cycle of Digital Inclusion
Samantha Schartman and Angela Siefer call for researchers to contribute insights and evidence to help secure the future of the digital inclusion sector.
Views
To sustain digital adoption programs, we need to look beyond grant funding
In the wake of cuts to digital adoption programs, Samantha Schartman calls for the sector to think beyond grant funding to build a sustainable funding future.
Get involved
To learn more and the Alt-Financing Working Group, email samantha@connecthumanity.fund.