October 19, 2000 | Read Time: 1 minute
By NICOLE WALLACE
The Technology Opportunity Program of the U.S. Department of Commerce has awarded $13.9-million to 35 nonprofit organizations and state and local governments for projects that bring information technology to poor urban and rural areas.
Commerce Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced the awards at the Maya Angelou Public Charter School, in Washington. The school houses the See Forever Foundation, a charity that received a $395,000 grant to develop ShawNet, a network that will provide residents of the low-income Shaw neighborhood with access to technology and teach local teenagers computer skills.
The awards — which range in amount from $140,000 to $545,000 — must be matched by private contributions or by funds from state and local governments.
Information on the projects that received grants, as well as on the rest of the 662 applications that the Commerce Department received, is available on the Technology Opportunity Program’s Web site (http://www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/top).
The program will begin accepting applications for its 2001 grants in January.
