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

        Federal ban on noncompetes would ‘unleash’ entrepreneurs, open door to more startups, advocate says

        By Tommy Felts | January 9, 2023

        A proposed rule change that would stop employers from imposing and enforcing contract clauses to limit their workers’ ability to change jobs within their fields is being hailed as a “vital step on the path to expanding economic growth in the United States,” according to one Kansas City-based advocate for entrepreneurs. Earlier this month, the…

        Ice Cream Bae returns to the Country Club Plaza with its own storefront, more flavors 

        By Tommy Felts | January 7, 2023

        Adison and Jackie Sichampanakhone have a soft spot for the Country Club Plaza, they shared. It’s where the journey with their soft-serve ice cream shop began. “We’re excited to be back. We had so many great customers down here before, so we’re happy to be able to serve them again,” said Adison, who co-founded Ice…

        UMKC receives $12.97M grant from Kauffman Foundation to boost barrier breaking across KC region, beyond

        By Tommy Felts | January 5, 2023

        Editor’s note: The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a financial supporter of Startland News’ nonprofit newsroom. New grant provides support to continue and expand entrepreneurship programs on the UMKC campus and across the Kansas City region The University of Missouri-Kansas City has received a historic, five-year, $12.97 million grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation…

        This 11-year-old’s lemonade sells out in hours at Hy-Vee; Here’s how he hopes to extend the shelf life of his young family business

        By Tommy Felts | January 5, 2023

        The all-natural, fresh-squeezed lemonade made by 11-year-old Tre Glasper and his family in a Manhattan commercial kitchen is making its way to Kansas City thanks to a tart partnership with one of the Midwest’s leading grocery chains. Tre typically sells about 100 bottles of Tre’s Squeeze — an amount that takes two to three hours…