The owner of Wan Le Auto Service works with volunteer on his website. Revitalizing small businesses through bridging the digital divide
Seattle IT celebrates Friends of Little Saigon (FLS), a community non-profit working to preserve and enhance Little Saigon’s cultural, economic, and historic vitality. During 2024, FLS worked with small businesses across Little Saigon to provide digital skills training and help expand small businesses’ online presence.
In 2023 Friends of Little Saigon (FLS) received a $31,500 Technology Matching Fund grant to jumpstart their Little Saigon Digital Capacity Building project. FLS identified that for many family-run businesses in Little Saigon, there was either a lack of capacity or the required digital skills — especially among older business owners – to grow and develop their businesses. In some cases, there was also a language barrier preventing these businesses from otherwise expanding and thriving.
Friends of Little Saigon’s solution is to target small businesses and provide them with essential digital skills, including email, online services, social media marketing, website management, and cybersecurity training. FLS recruited and trained over 40 multi-lingual volunteers, who meet with business owners and develop solutions for their unique needs. So far, they have worked with over 20 different businesses –everything from a pharmacy, seafood market, auto shop, and jeweler to many restaurants that needed to establish their online presence and ordering systems.
Through digital literacy training, participants have gained the skills and confidence to manage online operations more effectively, allowing them to scale their businesses and reach new markets. A restaurant owner who initially distrusted technology and social media and faced significant challenges with their online presence gained the confidence to manage their Google and Yelp pages effectively, leading to increased customer rapport.
“The businesses that we have supported are seeing more digital interactions with customers because their business information is now accurate and up to date. Business owners have a better understanding of the various technologies and their digital presence, and they now can get the support they need,” said Quynh Pham, Executive Director of Friends of Little Saigon.
The grant has also strengthened the organization’s ability to serve the Little Saigon business community more broadly. “The Digital Capacity Building project highlighted the depth of digital literacy challenges many businesses face, particularly regarding technology navigation and online marketing,” added Pham. “This new insight enables us to tailor future programs and resources to bridge these gaps and create more equitable access to digital opportunities in the community.”
To learn more about Friends of Little Saigon and their amazing work, visit: www.flsseattle.org.
Technology Matching Fund Grants are part of the City’s Digital Equity Program. TMF was established in 1997 to support the community’s efforts to close the digital divide and encourage a technology-healthy city. Over $5 million has been awarded since 1998. The fund continues the legacy of Bill Wright, a Central District community leader who embodied the program goals of creating digital equity and opportunities for all, and of using technology tools to engage residents, improve communications and strengthen communities.
The City of Seattle’s Information Technology Department (Seattle IT) oversees the City’s Digital Equity Program. To learn more about digital equity programs like the Technology Matching Fund Grant program and past winners, reduced-cost cable and internet opportunities, and other programs, visit www.seattle.gov/tech. Seattle IT is a trusted partner that provides secure, reliable, and complaint technologies, enabling the City to deliver equitable and responsive services to the public.