Vodafone - charities.connected
If you are a charity that needs some support for digital inclusion programmes, you can apply to Vodafone's charities.connected, which is part of their everyone.connected campaign that aims to help people and businesses cross the digital divide.
Charities can apply to charities.connected to receive free Vodafone SIM cards that are loaded with 40GB of data a month for 6 months, plus unlimited calls and texts. Charities can use these SIM cards however they would like - for example, to provide connectivity to the people that your charity supports, or to hold drop-in sessions at your venue.
It is important to note that Vodafone distributes SIM cards through charities and cannot distribute SIMs to individuals.
If you are an individual seeking support with mobile data, you can view our #CovConnects map to see the venue closest to you that distributes National Databank [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/cov-connects/connectivity-devices/3] SIM cards.
Find out more about Vodafone's charities.connected by visiting their website. [https://www.vodafone.co.uk/mobile/everyone-connected/charities-connected]
Connected Coventry - An Arts Fund for Coventry Creatives
This Fund is an £18k funded opportunity open to creatives, makers and artists of Coventry. The call is to design an installation telling the story and ambition of #CovConnects: building a digitally included city through sharing and reusing old technology.
The background
#CovConnects and Virgin Media O2 have partnered to establish Coventry as the first device reuse city for social good and electronic waste (e-waste) reduction.
Around 14,000 residents in Coventry are completely offline (they don’t have access to the internet) and 6 in 10 are smartphone-only users living in households without a laptop or computer. Imagine how limiting this can be. In contrast, electronic waste is soaring, with UK households sitting on £10 billion of unused tech and the UK now the second largest producer of e-waste in the world (per capita).
We're working to address this problem, with support from Virgin Media O2. Founded in 2022, the #CovConnects Device bank takes technology from Coventry, for the people of Coventry. The premise is simple: take devices from local Coventry organisations and pass them on to the people in the city who need them. The device bank securely data wipes thousands of devices from the Council, NHS and University of Warwick (including smartphones, tablets and laptops). This IT is then redistributed to over 190 bespoke programmes across the city, through the voluntary sector, Council and NHS services to help people get online safely, with their own device.
We know we are only scratching the surface, with many Coventry residents still not able to engage with the online world. We are looking to further scale-up our reuse city, ensuring local tech stays local: 'From Cov, For Cov'.
The creative call
We’re asking creatives to use creativity, storytelling and reused technology to showcase the positive impact of digital inclusion or the barriers created by exclusion, through a compelling, mobile (e.g. it can be moved) art installation.
The piece should move viewers to want to support Coventry’s digital device reuse mission: it might encourage them to donate devices, to get involved, to influence their organisation to donate funding, encourage their organisation to apply for devices etc.
Learn more and register your interest
Want to learn more about the fund's requirements, desired outcomes and timeline? Visit the Connected Coventry page on the Hubbub website [https://hubbub.org.uk/connected-coventry] to view the full details and register your interest.
Apply to become a Sky Up Digital Hub
#CovConnects are working with the Sky Up programme to help up to 10 community venues get access to free Wi-Fi.
The Sky Up programme is all about creating opportunities in a digital world so everyone can be better equipped and have a better future. Through the programme, community venues can apply to seek Broadband & Tech by becoming a Sky Up Digital Hub.
By becoming a Sky Up Digital Hub, venues will receive 3 years’ worth of free Sky broadband and tech devices that can support digital upskilling . They will also be able to access digital devices and wider skills supports through the Council’s #CovConnects initiative.
The Sky Up programme focusses on two age groups and applicants will need to showcase how their work will reach these audiences. The two age groups are the under 25s and the over 65s.
Sky Up have reached their Digital Hub quota for 2024. If you are interested in registering a Hub, please look out for updates either on this page or on the Sky Up website. [https://www.skyup.sky/digital-hubs]
National Digital Inclusion Network
Good Things Foundation, one of the leading digital inclusion charities in the UK, have a network of over 5,000 hardworking organisations throughout the country, this network is known as the National Digital Inclusion Network.
Members of the National Digital Inclusion Network provide safe spaces for digitally excluded people to access free help. They offer digital inclusion support such as free mobile data through the National Databank, or offer digital skills support through the Learn My Way platform.
No matter where you are in the UK, or what your organisation does. If you want to deliver free digital inclusion support, you can join the National Digital Inclusion Network.
Why join the National Digital Inclusion Network?
Members of the National Digital Inclusion Network can access:
- The National Databank - like a food bank but for mobile data - receive a supply of free mobile SIM cards to gift to people who need internet connectivity
- Learn My Way - free online learning platform packed with bite-sized topics on essential digital skills. Your organisation can use Learn My Way to support people to improve their digital skills for free by joining the National Digital Inclusion Network
- Digital inclusion grants and funding - Good Things Foundation's 'Fix The Digital Divide' fund is exclusive for members of the National Digital Inclusion Network. A range of grants are available depending on your organisations experience in delivering digital inclusion support.
Learn more about the benefits of becoming a member of Good Things Foundation's National Digital Inclusion Network. [https://www.goodthingsfoundation.org/our-services]
Joining the National Digital Inclusion Network
Organisations interested in joining the National Digital Inclusion Network can find out more on how to register by visiting this page of Good Things Foundation's website. [https://www.goodthingsfoundation.org/network]