The Internet Society Foundation is proud to announce funding for 11 new projects in six countries as part of its Strengthening Communities, Improving Lives and Livelihoods (SCILLS) grant program. The grants, totaling USD $ 2.7 million will support community-led initiatives in Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Ghana, Indonesia, and Senegal. The SCILLS grant program is dedicated to expanding economic growth and increasing educational opportunities by helping individuals and communities use the Internet more knowledgeably and skillfully. This new cohort of grantees joins a growing global effort. Since the SCILLS program’s first year in 2020, the Internet Society Foundation has committed millions in funding across dozens of projects, continually expanding its reach and impact.
“With this new cohort, we are not just providing grants; we are building a collaborative ecosystem focused on shared learning and success. Our goal is to empower our partners in Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Ghana, Indonesia, and Senegal as they develop innovative solutions that create economic and educational opportunities. We are committed to working alongside them, learning from their challenges and successes, to ensure the Internet becomes a powerful tool for everyone, everywhere.”
– Jenn Beard, Senior Program Officer, Internet Society Foundation
SCILLS PROGRAM 2025 AWARDEES
Bangladesh
TechSoup, with the support of Teach for Bangladesh, received USD $300,000 to equip children and adolescents in key regions of Bangladesh, including Dhaka, Chattogram, Rangpur, and Cox’s Bazar, with critical digital literacy skills. The project will raise awareness about the safe, ethical, and responsible use of technology to help them navigate the evolving digital education landscape. It will also enhance teachers’ capacity with advanced pedagogical skills and digital tools to facilitate effective online and blended learning, while cultivating a supportive home-based learning environment by improving parents’ digital literacy to ensure they can actively guide their children’s online experiences.
Brazil
TechSoup, with the support of EMpower and The Emerging Markets Foundation, received USD $296,497 to equip 800 underserved young people in Cali, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo with the digital and life skills needed to thrive in the fast-growing technology sector. The project addresses the youth unemployment crisis and the digital skills gap by providing technical training, life skills education, and job placement support to enable underserved youth, particularly girls and young women, to access stable, well-paying tech jobs.
Instituto de Referência em Internet e Sociedade received USD $170,000 to empower public schools and bridge the digital gap between public and private institutions. Grounded in Paulo Freire’s pedagogy of autonomy, the project will strengthen the quality of education by co-creating skills and sustainable governance models for integrating the Internet as a pedagogical tool, shaping all actions through active listening to the needs of teachers and students.
ASSOCIAÇÃO MEGAEDU received USD $300,000 to increase educational opportunities and digital transformation in public schools in Bragança do Pará, a municipality in Brazil’s Amazon region. The project aims to empower at least 600 teachers to support digital learning for their students, promoting the Internet as a tool for fostering creativity, collaboration, and meaningful learning experiences that contribute to long-term educational equity.
Colombia
Makaia received USD $250,000 to address the critical lack of economic opportunities for vulnerable populations in Colombia by equipping them with in-demand technological and employability skills. The project aims to facilitate access to better jobs and sustainable economic opportunities by connecting high-potential individuals from vulnerable backgrounds to the tech industry, enriching their lives and fostering social mobility.
Fundación Capital received USD $300,000 to enhance women entrepreneurs’ meaningful and safe use of the Internet to grow their businesses and promote digital inclusion. The project, ConectadasAI, aims to close the usage gap caused by barriers like low confidence, limited skills, and online safety concerns by transforming the Internet into a relevant, safe, and empowering tool that strengthens their ability to improve their livelihoods and lead digital change in their communities
Ghana
TechSoup, with the support of Generation You Employed Ghana, received USD $218,280 to leverage the Internet to provide young Ghanaians with high-quality, profession-specific training and place them into digitally enabled professions. The project aims to improve access to education through remote training and foster economic inclusion by connecting graduates to living-wage jobs, thereby building financial opportunities and sustainable income sources.
Indonesia
TechSoup, with the support of BRI Research Institute, received USD $214,000 to support 500 women-led microenterprises through blended training in digital skills, financial literacy, and online commerce. This project aims to advance digital and financial inclusion for women-led microenterprises in underserved Indonesian regions by equipping them with the knowledge, confidence, and support systems to use the Internet meaningfully to grow their businesses.
Senegal
TechSoup, with the support of Digital Promise Global, received USD $215,070 to partner with the Kédougou Institute on a 30-month project to accelerate access to high-quality education in the region of Kédougou, Senegal, addressing barriers to learners’ educational outcomes, particularly among girls. The project aims to provide digital technologies, Internet access, teacher training in learner-centered pedagogies, and supplementary personalized digital learning for middle school students.
CROISSANCE TIC Dakar received USD $25,000 to strengthen the operational capacities of CTIC Dakar to improve its services and maximize its impact on the Senegalese entrepreneurial community. The project will focus on four priority areas: modernizing IT equipment, providing partial salary support, developing skills, and measuring the impact of its programs to better meet the needs of entrepreneurs and startups.
Synergy for Digital and Media Education received USD $200,500 to improve equitable access to quality education in areas with low connectivity in Senegal, based on the secure, inclusive, and autonomous use of the Internet and digital technologies. The project targets schools in the Kédougou, Diourbel, and Dakar regions with a focus on training teachers, strengthening students’ digital skills for learning and employability, and disseminating the project’s innovations nationwide.
With these grants, the Internet Society Foundation is committed to helping communities worldwide gain essential digital skills that can drive better educational and economic opportunities.