Kansas City gigabit projects can snag up to $25K from Mozilla

January 26, 2016  |  Bobby Burch

Community members beta test a Gigabit Fund project at Chattanooga’s first Mini Maker Faire. (Photo by Jason Oswald)

The Mozilla Foundation is planning to empower Kansas City techies to improve their city.

The foundation — along with the National Science Foundation and US Ignite — announced Monday that it’s allocating $300,000 to civically-minded, gigabit pilot projects in Kansas City and Chattanooga, TN.

The Mozilla Gigabit Community Fund is now accepting applications from techies and educators in both cities to submit ideas. Applicants can be local companies, non-profits or other institutions interested in tapping Kansas City’ gigabit speeds to improve education and workforce development.

If selected, projects can receive funding between $5,000 and $25,000, in addition to ongoing support and mentoring from Mozilla. The projects must take place in Kansas City, but applicants can come from around the world.

To date, the Fund has supported the development of 17 pilot projects in Kansas City and Chattanooga. Past projects include improved first-responder equipment, a real-time water quality monitoring system and singing robots.

While limited in funding size, the fund has had a positive effect on the local community, Mozilla Gigabit City Lead Lindsey Frost said.

“From relatively small grants have come huge impacts, as these projects continue as yearlong courses in our schools or even as full-fledged gigabit tech startups,” Frost said in a release.

startland-tip-jar

TIP JAR

Did you enjoy this post? Show your support by becoming a member or buying us a coffee.

Tagged , ,
Featured Business
    Featured Founder

      2016 Startups to Watch

        stats here

        Related Posts on Startland News

        Do The Right Thing: Tate Williams plans to sell his startup (but he’s not looking for an exit)

        By Tommy Felts | July 16, 2024

        The following profile features one of five finalists for the “Do The Right Thing” social impact pitch competition organized by the KC BizCare Office, Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City and Startland News. Finalist features will be published throughout the week. Click here to read more features. Click here to vote for your favorite finalist…

        New owners for Bo Lings’ Plaza location; here’s what the beloved restaurant is adding to its menu

        By Tommy Felts | July 12, 2024

        Change is on the way for a longtime staple of the Kansas City food scene: Bo Lings — the Chinese restaurant chain founded by Bo “Richard” Ng and Far “Theresa” Ling in 1981 — has partnered with W.VinZant Restaurants to reimagine its Country Club Plaza location with more contemporary and expansive Asian cuisine. The new…

        Prospect KC brews coffee bar collab with Messenger inside iconic downtown KC library

        By Tommy Felts | July 12, 2024

        A reimagined coffee shop — closed during the pandemic — returns to full strength Aug. 7 thanks to a menu of pastries, sandwiches, and salads prepared by The Prospect KC culinary students in a live-training environment, as well as drinks and coolers crafted with Messenger Coffee Co. The 1,350-square-foot coffee bar and café — dubbed…

        Cookies have taken over Sweet Kiss, but this mother-daughter brigadeiro shop has even more baked inside

        By Tommy Felts | July 11, 2024

        For Jessica Harris, a brigadeiro offers a taste of home, she said, and for almost a decade, she’s been sharing those Brazilian truffles with Kansas City. When the Sweet Kiss Brigadeiro co-founder relocated to the City of Fountains in 1996 — following her sister who moved the year before to play basketball for Penn Valley…