The Children's Partnership 2000 and 2001
Date Initiated: October 2000

Part of Markle's Domestic Digital Divide Initiative, an undertaking focused on the development of on-line content and services for low-income communities, Markle committed to a three year collaboration with The Children's Partnership (TCP) The parternship began with a strong start with the release of the report, Online Content for Low-Income and Underserved Americans: The Digital Divide's New Frontier in March 2000. The study found that insufficient local information, language and literacy barriers, and a lack of cultural diversity on the Internet posed the greatest problem for disadvantaged populations in using the Internet.

With Markle's support, TCP has continued to developea comprehensive online content portal as a resource and model "starter kit" for underserved users. The portal aggregates currently available content and utilities (including tools for those with limited literacy, multi-lingual translation, search engines, and local and culturally diverse content), as well as information on models for developing content at the community level. Additionally, the portal is designed as a research tool that will receive direct feedback from users about what works and what is needed. Markle's efforts specifically focused on supporting the planning, launch, and rollout of the portal; continued refining of the portal in response to feedback; continued work with various community centers in order to better understand how to best address their needs as they become content developers; meetings with industry and other stakeholders; and continued outreach to elevate the profile of online content issues.