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Investing in Innovative Solutions for Social Justice_

In October 2021, Centri Tech Foundation announced a partnership with Morgan Stanley to create the Sustainable Solutions Social Justice Innovation Awards – a new program dedicated to identifying systemic solutions that advance racial and environmental justice and achieve inclusive economic opportunity in the United States. In the first year, five awardees will be selected and each will receive a $250,000 award to help develop and scale their solutions focused on social justice as an integral part of a sustainable future.

In addition, awardees will participate in a cohort experience facilitated by the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing and Centri Tech Foundation. The customized program is designed to promote collaboration, build capacity, and provide support to leaders focused on achieving transformative impact through the scale of systemic solutions.

 

“It is clearer than ever that the greatest challenges we face – climate change, social justice, and inclusive growth – are inextricably linked. We must seek out solutions that address social justice at a systemic level to realize a more sustainable future.”

Audrey Choi, Morgan Stanley Chief Sustainability Officer

and CEO of the Institute for Sustainable Investing

 

“This new award is an opportunity to bring to bear our focus on accelerating systems change toward improved social outcomes. We are honored to collaborate with visionary innovators to deliver meaningful justice in our society.”

Rey Ramsey, Chairman of Centri Tech Foundation

1996 ↓

 

A recognition of our country’s growing “digital divide” takes early hold among policy advocates, spurring public and private efforts to connect the unconnected via public access points, such as libraries and newly-formed “community technology centers.”

2000 ↓

 

First home Broadband installations begin, with about 2.5% of American households connected via an “always-on” Internet connection, surpassing the speed of dial-up connections which maxxed out at 56Kbps.

2000 ↓

 

A new nonprofit organization, One Economy Corporation, forms to help bring internet connectivity, content, and training to low-Income Americans as a means to combat poverty. One Economy’s approach has a particular focus on home-based access for all.

2001 ↓

 

One Economy creates the Beehive, a new online destination for education and tools to help low-income Americans meet the challenges and opportunities related to their finances, health, education, employment, and more.

2002 ↓

 

One Economy launches the Digital Connectors program in Washington, D.C. to hire and train high-school aged youth in technology skills and then deploy them to serve as technology ambassadors in their neighborhoods. This pilot program would ultimately be replicated as a national model in communities from DC to San Francisco, resulting in more than one million hours of service to low-income neighborhoods and 10,000 young people trained.

2006 ↓

 

One Economy launches the Public Internet Channel, a new website devoted to bringing public purpose programming to audiences often left out of the media landscape. The effort was co-chaired by Senators Barack Obama and John McCain.

2009 ↓

 

President Obama signs into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), a stimulus package that includes $7.2 billion devoted to promoting broadband infrastructure and adoption.

2010 ↓

 

One Economy receives the largest broadband adoption grant as part of the ARRA from the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). This $28.5 million grant, backed by $25 million in private match, enables One Economy to expand its reach and impact into communities across the nation through its relationships with over 900 community-based organizations (CBOs), its connection of 27,000 units of affordable housing to broadband, and digital skills training to more than 260,000 Americans.

2010 ↓

 

ARRA also commissions the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to create a National Broadband Plan, which was unveiled in March. The plan calls for 100 million homes to have 100/50 Mbps internet connections by the year 2020, 1 gig connections to community anchor institutions, and affordable access to in-home broadband connectivity and training for all Americans.

2013 ↓

 

After 13 years of impactful work, One Economy Corporation’s highlights include: pioneering shared in-home broadband access and connecting more than 40,000 low-income households; training 10,000 Digital Connectors as tech ambassadors for nearly 1 million neighborhood residents; creating life-enhancing content and applications used by 20 million people, and creating the Bring IT Home policy campaign, which encouraged in-home broadband in publicly-financed housing in 40 states.

2015 ↓

 

Mobile devices become the most common means of accessing the Internet, partly as a result of telecommunications companies' now-ubiquitous implementation of “4G” or fourth generation mobile networks, capable of transmitting data at speeds of 100Mbps.

2019 ↓

 

Nearly 25 million Americans remain disconnected from broadband at home. For low-income and rural communities the numbers are worst of all–with nearly half of all households making less than $35,000/year still disconnected.

2019 ↓

 

In December, a small group of entrepreneurs, including former founders of One Economy Corporation, found a new company called Centri Tech, to address tech infrastructure and adoption as a means to improve and enhance the lives of Americans, particularly the un- and under-connected.

2020 ↓

 

Early in the new year, the sudden outbreak of a deadly new virus is declared a global emergency. In the U.S., and around the world, stay-at-home orders go into effect and people are left to manage their work, education, and healthcare online. Our collective lack of preparedness for this technological challenge is laid bare.

2020 ↓

 

In November, Centri Tech officially launches, along with its nonprofit, the Centri Tech Foundation. Together, they lay the groundwork to execute on our new national imperative, Digital Advancement.

2020 ↓

 

Local governments, places of business, and school districts all scramble to find fast and effective solutions to our now-obvious technical shortcomings. Some school systems distribute free devices to students that need them to bring classes 100% online. Internet connectivity remains a harder problem to solve, leaving many students to park outside of free public wifi hotspots to download and upload their assignments.

How did we get here?

It's Time
Centri Tech Annual Report 2021

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