Bridging the Digital Divide: Investing in Eastern North Carolina’s Digital Future

Access to technology has become more than a convenience. It is a lifeline to healthcare, education, and economic opportunity. Yet in Eastern North Carolina, many residents face significant barriers to the digital world. Recognizing this disparity, Camber Foundation has made substantial investments to bridge the gap.

A Community-Driven Approach

To better understand how Camber could make a meaningful impact, we sought guidance from partners, including the NC Department of Information Technology and the Institute for Emerging Issues at NC State. These conversations affirmed both the critical importance of this work and helped explain the gap in applications: much of the digital opportunity work requires the expertise, networks, and capacity of larger regional agencies and institutions, organizations that fall outside our typical nonprofit grant program structure. We also learned that while substantial infrastructure funding exists to expand broadband access, far less funding is available for the other essential pillars of digital access: devices and skills education.

This insight led us to a more strategic approach, partnering directly with established institutions and regional organizations that could leverage existing community networks and implement programs at scale while maintaining the foundation’s commitment to community-driven solutions.

Major Investments, Meaningful Impact

In the fall of 2025, Camber invested more than $1.1 million in digital opportunity grants, marking our most significant investment in this area to date.

East Carolina University’s Digital Link & Learn program received $647,000 in funding to continue its work across 18 Eastern North Carolina counties. The program exemplifies community engagement, having developed its approach through intensive conversations with local librarians, community members, and organizations. Their four-module curriculum covers digital technology basics, online safety, searching for information, and telehealth, addressing the transportation barriers that plague rural healthcare access. A digital lending program allows community members to borrow devices and access Wi-Fi hotspots, while community health workers bring training directly to community members at libraries, health centers, and senior centers. Camber partnered with the program at a moment where its momentum was apparent – just prior to this investment, participants reported doubled confidence in using programs and apps, word processing, and online privacy, skills that translate directly into better healthcare access and employment opportunities.

The NC Cooperative Extension’s Digital Futures Program out of NC State University received $537,500 to continue digital skills education through its trusted presence in six Eastern North Carolina counties, while also expanding into new areas of the region. With offices that have served communities for decades, Extension is uniquely positioned to identify and respond to local needs. Their digital skills educators deliver mobile classroom training at libraries, community centers, churches, and housing sites, tailoring curriculum to specific community needs, from computer basics and cybersecurity to AI literacy. They also connect residents to national certificate programs for remote work opportunities, providing local support and career coaching throughout.

One success story captures the program’s impact: In Bertie County, a Digital Skills Educator helped a returning resident use AI tools to craft a scholarship application for HVAC training. The result: a $7,400 scholarship that launched a new career in a high-demand skilled trade.

Beyond university partnerships, Camber Foundation is also investing in regional implementation efforts of local councils of government (COGs). These projects are the result of assistance the COGs received from the Institute for Emerging Issues at NC State to drive local digital planning efforts – work that was partly funded by Camber Foundation beginning in 2023. The Mid-Carolina Regional Council received $62,000 to support digital opportunity projects across Cumberland, Harnett, and Sampson counties. Their community-driven approach includes mobile hotspot lending programs at libraries, digital skills training at libraries and partner agencies, and expanded device access, all developed based on direct feedback from library patrons about their lived experiences and needs.

The Mid-East Commission received $50,000 to address a critical gap: 12,000 households without computer devices across the Beaufort, Bertie, Hertford, Martin, and Pitt county region. Through partnerships with the Kramden Institute, the program will provide residents with refurbished devices, along with 90 days of technical support and connections to free digital skills training through Area Agencies on Aging, community colleges, and Cooperative Extension offices. By working with Kramden, the program can also extend device access to K-12 students and their families at no additional cost.

Looking Ahead

These investments come at a critical time, as organizations face reductions in other funding sources. Camber Foundation’s grants ensure these vital programs can continue serving Eastern North Carolina communities, providing not just access to technology, but the skills and confidence to use it effectively for health, education, and economic advancement.

“We are optimistic about these strategic partnerships,” said Leslie Ann Jackson, Camber Foundation president and CEO. “Our journey into digital opportunity funding began with listening and learning, understanding not just the need, but how we could most effectively support solutions. These investments represent our commitment to expanding access in Eastern North Carolina has access to the digital tools, skills, and connectivity that people need to thrive. This is just the beginning of what we believe will be transformative work for the region.”

Photo credit: NC Cooperative Extension