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

        ‘This is our era’: How one local streetwear brand got the ball rolling for an exclusive KC Comets collab 

        By Tommy Felts | November 4, 2022

        Soccer fans can kick off their weekend with a one-day-only sale of a limited-edition apparel collaboration between Kansas City’s premier indoor soccer team and its top streetwear brand, said Vu Radley. “We found this really cool, creative space with the KC Comets where we could pay homage to their vintage jerseys and mix it with…

        Not all shops will be riding high if Missouri legalizes recreational cannabis, but even imperfect expansion ‘far worth the effort,’ advocates say

        By Tommy Felts | November 3, 2022

        Legalizing recreational marijuana would have potent outcomes across the state if Missouri voters approve a constitutional amendment Nov. 8, but some cannabis advocates and small business owners say not all strains of success will be equal. On one hand, Missouri’s Amendment 3 would expunge the criminal records of people with past non-violent marijuana charges and…

        Tesseract deepens military ties with deal to develop smart space hub for US Air Force

        By Tommy Felts | November 1, 2022

        Tesseract Ventures’ research and development partnership with the U.S. Air Force is reaching new altitudes with a just-announced contract to develop 21st century smart space technologies for MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. “The Air Force has always been a center of innovation and a launch pad for world-changing new technologies,” said John Boucard,…

        Fund Me, KC: She’s served a community need; now LaRonda LaNear needs help filling her kitchen

        By Tommy Felts | November 1, 2022

        Startland News is continuing its “Fund Me, KC” series to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses or lend a helping hand to others. This is an opportunity for business owners and innovators — like LaRonda LaNear’s effort to launch a brick and mortar space for We Got It Covered Food Services — to…