Becoming a Partner

When working with Neighborhood Networks centers, community partners, such as government, businesses, hospitals, colleges, nonprofits, and service providers, are making a strategic investment—whether the partnership is nationwide, regional, or local.

By working with Neighborhood Networks, partners can:

Our STEP Strategy is designed to help centers work with partners.

National partnerships are forged between an organization and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Neighborhood Networks initiative. Centers nationwide can then access the partnership based on eligibility and interest. Read the criteria for national partners for information about requirements.

Local and regional partnerships are one-on-one relationships between a business, government agency, or organization, and a center or group of centers that may have formed a consortium. Potential partners can explore partnership possibilities by contacting centers directly using the Find a Center search tool or by contacting HUD's Neighborhood Networks Coordinators to investigate opportunities for partnerships in a particular region.

By working with Neighborhood Networks, partners can become active participants in the effort to bring computer access to disadvantaged communities. For centers, cultivating partnerships provides access to experience, tools, and technology that can increase sustainability and community building.

For example, the Greenwood Apartments Neighborhood Networks Center in Richmond, Indiana, partners with the Townsend Center, a local minority-based, nonprofit organization to develop afterschool programs, including Tai kwon do classes, crafts courses, and clay sculpting. Greenwood and the Townsend Center are planning field trips and excursions to local art galleries and the Richmond City Museum, as well as additional academic programs that will provide students with mentors.