Telstra is accepting until August 27 applications from community groups in Australia to apply for grants that will connect seniors to the digital and mobile world.
Grant amounts range up to $5,000 for local groups and up to $50,000 for state and territory organizations.
Eligible entities can include sports clubs, seniors' social groups or community organizations like Rotary.
The grants are part of the $3-million, three-year Telstra Connected Seniors program which allows organizations to run training courses for their members.
Courses are meant to introduce new technology in ways that are fun, hands-on and helpful everyday tasks that can be as simple as arranging a bridge game via SMS or emailing family photos.
“Learning to communicate with friends and family either online or by mobile phone is usually the first step for seniors,” said David Moffat, Telstra consumer group managing director.
“Once they’ve gained confidence in their ability to use new technology to text, email and send and receive photos via email, there's a world of new activities to explore,” Moffat added.
He said seniors can research family trees, re-unite online with old friends and seek travel and holiday information.
Grants are comprised of cash to assist with purchasing equipment and covering running costs while training materials will be provided to course organizers and trainers. Club members running courses can elect to be paid for their time or donate that money to their organization.