Naper Settlement is getting campus-wide WiFi, funded by a $12,000 grant from the DuPage Foundation.
The grant will pay to expand wireless connectivity across the Naper Settlement campus, according to the Foundation's Oct. 26 announcement.
The upgrade is meant to support digital learning, youth camps, collections access and educational programming for students, staff and community members.
The grant description does not specify which buildings or outdoor areas will get coverage first, or when the work will begin.
Naper Settlement, operated by the Naperville Heritage Society, was one of 11 DuPage County nonprofits to receive funding through the Foundation's Capacity Building grant program, which targets organizational infrastructure.
The Foundation awarded more than $115,000 total in this cycle.
Barb Szczepaniak, vice president for programs at DuPage Foundation, said the program has now distributed more than $325,000 in Capacity Building grants across three cycles.
She said the consistent growth in the program each year translates to stronger foundations for the county's nonprofit sector.
The program's third round drew new support from the Foundation's Community Impact Circle, a coalition of local businesses and private foundations including Busey Bank, Comcast, Northern Trust and Wight & Co. The Circle funded some of this year's grants, though the Naper Settlement award was not among them.
Other recipients ranged from Serenity House Counseling Services, which received the largest award at $20,000 for a secure technology platform to improve access to treatment and recovery services, to EQuality Downers Grove, which received $1,000 for tech upgrades.
Bridge Communities received $16,500, DuPagePads received $15,000 and BrightSide Theat3re received $13,000.
The Foundation has not released a timeline for the Naper Settlement WiFi project or indicated whether a vendor has been selected.
