19-06-2025
Federal funding loss will curtail Tech Hub programs in Holyoke
HOLYOKE — Tech Foundry will curtail its class offerings at its Tech Hub Holyoke for August, following a Trump administration clawback of grant funds.
'We are far from alone here, right?' said Tricia Canavan, CEO of the nonprofit Tech Foundry. 'We are seeing it happen in many different places.'
But these cuts are especially frustrating, Canavan said Monday, because Tech Hub Holyoke teaches digital literacy, helping people learn how to navigate online and use those skills to access jobs, health care and education.
'We have come to recognize that these are foundational skills that people need to effectively operate in the 21st century,' she said. 'These skills are also a social determinant of health.'
Vital information and connections to jobs, housing, health care appointments and insurance are all online.
Federal cuts mean there are fewer people to answer questions in person or provide resources by phone at the Social Security Administration, for example, Canavan said.
'If you can't go online and navigate that system, it's very difficult,' she said.
Canavan couldn't say Monday exactly how much money she expected Tech Foundry to get for the Holyoke program. She said she hopes the cutbacks are temporary.
'We continue to fundraise and we continue to work hard to identify resources,' Canavan said.
Tech Hub Holyoke will offer only limited workshops – with a schedule to be released soon. It will suspend community workshops in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties. A different Tech Hub, located in Springfield at 1350 Main St., will continue to offer classes, tech support and device distribution to Springfield residents only.
The cost of running Tech Hub Holyoke is $300,000 a year. Tech Foundry launched the hub in 2023 at Holyoke Community College's Picknelly Adult and Family Education Center, at 206 Maple St., providing digital literacy resources and a help desk for novice computer users.
Tech Hub Holyoke has recorded 3,960 interactions with clients seeking help through workshops, community classes, device repair, help desk support and one-on-one consultations. Many of those interactions are with repeat customers, according to a release from Tech Foundry.
On average, Tech Hub Holyoke serves 75 unique visitors monthly and conducts 35 workshops at the Picknelly center and at community locations throughout Western Mass.
The Tech Hub offers both internships and digital fellowships to students and graduates of the Tech Foundry IT Support Training Program.
In May, Massachusetts announced the Trump administration's decision to terminate $14.1 million in federal funding to expand internet access for veterans, rural communities and individuals with disabilities in Massachusetts. The money would have been managed through the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative.
The money was previously awarded through the Digital Equity Act Capacity Grant Program.
Of the $14.1 million, $9.44 million was to have gone to the Launchpad Program and fund digital literacy programs like the one in Holyoke that is now cut back.
There would have been $1.44 million included as well for the Municipal Digital Equity Planning Program that would have helped towns and cities build internet support infrastructure, according to a news release from the state.
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Read the original article on MassLive.
