Mozilla, the National Science Foundation, and U.S. Ignite announce $300,000 in grants for gigabit internet projects in Eugene, OR and Lafayette, LA

At Mozilla, we believe in a networked approach — leveraging the power of diverse people, pooled expertise and shared values.

This was the approach we took nearly 15 years ago when we first launched Firefox. Our open-source browser was — and is — built by a global network of engineers, designers and open web advocates.

This is also the approach Mozilla takes when working toward its greater mission: keeping the internet healthy. We can’t build a healthy internet — one that cherishes freedom, openness and inclusion — alone. To keep the internet a global public resource, we need a network of individuals and organizations and institutions.

One such partnership is Mozilla’s ongoing collaboration with the National Science Foundation (NSF) and U.S. Ignite. We’re currently offering a $2 million prize for projects that decentralize the web. And together in 2014, we launched the Gigabit Community Fund. We committed to supporting promising projects in gigabit-enabled U.S. cities — projects that use connectivity 250-times normal speeds to make learning more engaging, equitable and impactful.

Today, we’re adding two new cities to the Gigabit Community Fund: Eugene, OR and Lafayette, LA.

Beginning in May 2017, we’re providing a total of $300,000 in grants to projects in both new cities. Applications for grants will open in early summer 2017; applicants can be individuals, nonprofits and for-profits.

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