The Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced that it is transferring its Community Access to Technology (CAT) program to Washington State University's Center to Bridge the Digital Divide (CBDD).

The foundation launched the CAT program in 1999 to help Washington nonprofit organizations provide local communities with greater access to digital technology. In the years since, the program's focus has been on supporting organizations that use technology to make positive changes in the lives of at-risk youth, persons with disabilities, homeless persons, immigrant populations, Native Americans, and rural communities. The transfer of the program, which will be renamed Communities Connect, will provide long-term sustainability for community technology initiatives in the state and will result in a statewide network of community technology organizations.

"This program's shift to WSU represents an important milestone in the Gates Foundation's efforts to promote meaningful technology access to all residents of Washington," said Gates Foundation program officer Ken Thompson. "CBDD is uniquely equipped to evolve this program from a private grantmaking initiative to a self-sustaining network for community-based technology in Washington."

Communities Connect will award up to $3 million this year in a final round of multi-year grants made possible by foundation support. CBDD will announce grant guidelines later this month.