About the Digital Navigators Program

The Digital Navigator Program is an effort funded by Los Angeles County դեպի advance digital inclusion and digital equity—particularly for residents who have never had reliable home internet access. The Program provides funding for community-based organizations to hire Digital Navigators to serve their own communities. The County supports the cohort of Navigators by providing training and ongoing coordination. 

What can a Digital Navigator help with?

Digital Navigators work on a case-by-case basis to fully understand a person’s digital skillս needs and identify the right solutions. Digital Navigators provide community members with ongoing support in the following four areas:   

Affordable Internet Access

Գonnecting residents to affordable internet service in their area, including signing up for federal subsidies like the Affordable Connectivity Program.

Technology Devices

Helping residents access internet-enabled devices including refurbished computers or other affordable options.

Technical Skills

Providing technical assistance or digital skills training և connecting residents to more advanced classes offered by other service providers.

Ongoing Support

Building trusted relationships with residents to support their long-term digital skills journey.

What does a Digital Navigator do in the community?

An older adult who lives alone wants to use Zoom to call their family across the country but doesn’t know how.  The older adult calls the Digital Navigator hotline, and chats with a Digital Navigator about his needs. The Digital Navigator determines that they'll need to assist in-person and schedules a time to visit later that day.

The Digital Navigator arrives at the older adult’s home and introduces themself at the front door.

During the in-person meeting, the Digital Navigator teaches the older adult how to use Zoom, provides written instructions for reference, and practices multiple Zoom calls with them.

With the skills he learned during their session, the older adult is able to use Zoom to call his kids and grandkids.

The Digital Navigator heads off to their next assignment and plans to call the older adult the following week to check in and see that their needs were met. The older adult has the contact info for the Digital Navigator for any further support.

What is the role of Community-Based Organizations?

The County կամք partner with existing Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) to build and host a cohort of Digital Navigators throughout LA County. The County will award grants to CBOs for hiring and overseeing their own Digital Navigators. This partnership model allows trusted community leaders to utilize their local knowledge and relationships to best deploy Digital Navigators, with funding and larger programmatic support coming from The County. The County plans to identify host CBOս in the following neighborhoods:

  • Boyle Heights
  • Արևելյան Լոս Անջելես
  • South Los Angeles
  • Watts – Willowbrook

CBOs interested in applying for a Digital Navigator grant can view the application here.

Applications are due August 1, 2022.

Who can get help from a Digital Navigator?

Any Los Angeles County resident or business can reach out to a Digital Navigator to receive support over the phone. At launch, in-person support services will be available in the following neighborhoods: 

  • Boyle Heights  
  • East Los Angeles   
  • South Los Angeles  
  • Watts – Willowbrook 
How can I reach a Digital Navigator?

The County is in the process of identifying CBO partners and plans to launch the Digital Navigator Program in Fall 2022. At that time, Digital Navigators will be accessible to residents through: 

  • The Digital Navigator Hotline 
  • In-Person Office Hours  
  • Pop-Up Events 
  • Door-to-Door Outreach  
Ո՞րն է այս նախագծի ժամանակացույցը:

The Digital Navigator Program is in its early implementation stages, and the service is not yet available to residents. For more major program milestones and to see when a Digital Navigator may be available to you, see our project timeline: 

June 2022 Program Manager Application Released [Apply]
July 2022 Program Manager Application Deadline
July 2022 Host CBO Application Released [Apply]
August 2022 Host CBO Application Deadline
2022 թվականի սեպտեմբեր County Awards Host CBO Grants
October 2022 Digital Navigator Recruitment, Hiring, and Training [Apply]
2022 թվականի աշուն Digital Navigator Program Launch

Opportunities for Community-Based Organizations

Apply to manage the LA County Digital Navigator program

The County is currently seeking a non-profit organization that specializes in digital inclusion to serve as the Digital Navigator Program Manager through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process.

Learn more about the Program Manager role

Apply to be a Host Organization

The County seeks Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) to build and host a cohort of Digital Navigators (DNs) throughout LA County. The County will award grants to CBOs for hiring and overseeing their own Digital Navigators. 

Applications are due August 1, 2022. 

Learn more about becoming a host
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