The Robert W. Deutsch Foundation announces the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Rapid Response Project
The Robert W. Deutsch Foundation announces the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Rapid Response Project
The Robert W. Deutsch Foundation recently made three grants as part of our EBB Rapid Response Project. The grants were made to the following organizations:
BUILD Baltimore (Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development); and
MIMA (Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs)
Earlier this year, through our own commissioned research, we determined as many as 155,000 Baltimore City households qualified for the EBB on the basis of income-driven criteria and post-pandemic job or income loss. A $50 per month subsidy for each of these households could make a tremendous difference, ensuring education, job searches, medical appointments (and more) continue.
Recognizing that community based outreach is essential, and that community-based organizations serve as trusted messengers in their community, RWD decided to make grants to three organizations who have been active throughout the COVID pandemic, and who have the ability to weave EBB outreach and support into pre existing community programming.
The following can be attributed to amalia deloney, Vice President of the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation:
“CASA, MIMA and BUILD are deeply respected organizations with staff who know and love the communities they serve. For the past year, they have been working closely with Black and Latinx communities to provide food, vaccine support and cash assistance. They know who qualifies for EBB and what information and support families need to access this benefit. We’re happy to support these trusted messengers, skilled organizers and advocates.”
The Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Rapid Response Project grantees will use their funding to support the following:
CASA will activate their network of Community Health Workers (CHWs), who will develop tailored multilingual messaging and outreach materials about EBB, and who will integrate EBB into the portfolio of benefits that they support community members in accessing. CHWs will also utilize weekly vaccination clinics to hold mini-workshops to educate the community about EBB, as well as work with AmeriCorps Members to assist community members in applying for the EBB program.
The Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MIMA) will leverage their position as a leader in the immigrant community, and as a trusted city agency, to convene community groups to assess needs, opportunities, and challenges related to the EBB program. They will produce up to 3 virtual sessions on how to apply to EBB in English, Spanish, and French, and they will leverage their existing communication channels to provide weekly information related to EBB. They will also engage bilingual volunteers to guide families with the EBB application over the phone.
Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD) will promote the EBB program with community-based organizations, ethnic media, social media, community members, and partners at large. BUILD will canvass door-to-door, reaching over 1,250 families face to face (5,000 people) weekly, with weekly follow up conversations. They will conduct targeted face to face meetings and messaging to over 40 BUILD institutions with deep relationships in neighborhoods. They will also include information about the EBB program and application process at many of their weekly meetings, including but not limited to: weekly vaccine clinics, pop-up neighborhood clinics, school partnership meetings, BUILD trainings, and BUILD leadership meetings for community members.
For more information on the EBB program or to access community friendly resources, visit the following:
Emergency Broadband Benefit Program Outreach Launch Toolkit
Image credit: NETA for the Leadership Conference