The Digital Equity IMPACT Small Grants Program
City Bureau and Cook County’s Digital Equity Initiative are partnering to support organizations working to improve access to the internet, technology, and digital literacy resources.
In 2024, City Bureau and Cook County’s Digital Equity Initiative launched the IMPACT Small Grants Program to provide funding and storytelling support to local nonprofits, media organizations, and libraries. These grants help expand internet access, improve digital literacy, and boost the engagement efforts of community-based organizations to make digital skills accessible to everyone in Cook County.
City Bureau’s work is about addressing the barriers to a more just and equitable information ecosystem. When people can’t access a computer, don’t feel comfortable navigating the internet, or lack broadband access—that’s a major roadblock to being informed in an increasingly online world. We can’t have information equity without digital equity.
14 organizations across Suburban Cook County are currently using IMPACT funding to address the digital divide and engage their communities so more people can access the information, devices, and resources they need to live well, be informed, and connect with one other.
Learn about grantees’ IMPACT projects
Explore how our Digital Equity IMPACT grantees are expanding internet access, building digital skills, and strengthening community connection across Suburban Cook County. Swipe through the slides below to learn more about their stories.
Interested in joining the IMPACT cohort?
To be eligible for funding, applicants should:
Primarily serve communities in Suburban Cook County through their project.
Be a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, or fiscally sponsored by one.
Submit a project that aims to 1) address at least one of the cornerstones outlined in Cook County’s Digital Equity Action Plan and 2) show that you've thought about how you will engage community members and their narratives to increase awareness about digital equity.
Click below for more details about the application process, and watch the recording of our Jan.7 information session.
Digital access for all is necessary for informed, connected communities
Through our partnership with Cook County’s Digital Equity Initiative, we’ve seen how integral improving access to the internet, technology, and digital literacy is for strong civic information networks.
Meet the first Digital Equity IMPACT cohort
