Sustainability during and after funding
Practical approaches to keeping people digitally connected when projects end
Digital inclusion projects can create real change, but funding is often time limited. This work focuses on how digital inclusion can be sustained over time, through practical, place-based approaches that reduce reliance on short-term funding and support long-term access.
Sustained digital access supports ongoing engagement with health, recovery, and wider public services.
Keeping people connected shouldn’t end when funding does — sustainable, circular approaches help extend access, reduce waste, and support long-term inclusion.
Our approach
We focus on three connected areas that support lasting digital inclusion. The model is designed to be adaptable and replicable across different local authority areas.
Embedding digital inclusion into everyday organisational practice, building confidence, skills, and ways of working that last beyond individual projects.
Why culture matters
• Digital inclusion is not sustained by devices or funding alone. It depends on organisational culture — the attitudes, confidence, and everyday practices that shape how digital support continues once a project ends.
• Culture is not abstract; it directly shapes people’s lived experience of accessing public and third sector services. Where digital change is supported by confidence, flexibility, and inclusive practice, services are more likely to be accessible and responsive. Where culture is risk-averse or resistant to change, digital systems can become harder to navigate and more likely to exclude people who need additional support.
• Research into public sector digital transformation shows that cultural and organisational barriers often translate into real-world access issues for the people services are intended to support. Addressing culture and capability is therefore central to sustaining digital inclusion and improving how people experience digital access to essential services.
Reflecting on culture in practice
Culture and change in the workplace
• A reflective blog exploring how organisational culture influences behaviour, decision-making, and the ability to embed change over time, including why well-intentioned initiatives can struggle to last once funding or focus shifts.
Link to blog Culture First: Why Digital Inclusion Depends on People, Not Tech - Simon Community Scotland
Further reading
• The following research offers useful insight into how culture shapes digital change, particularly within public and non-profit contexts:
Organisational Change: The Challenge of Change Aversion (MDPI)
• Explores how resistance to change, often rooted in organisational culture, affects the success of change initiatives, including digital transformation, and why cultural readiness matters for sustainability.
Keeping devices in circulation through secure, compliant reuse and refurbishment, reducing costs, waste, and reliance on purchasing new equipment.
Why sustainable technology matters
Access to a suitable device is essential for digital inclusion, but relying on the purchase of new equipment is rarely sustainable once funding ends.
At the same time, public, private, and academic organisations regularly replace IT equipment that still has significant usable life. Sustainable access to technology brings these two realities together, creating a secure, place-based circular economy model that supports digital inclusion while reducing cost and waste.
This approach helps ensure that access to devices can continue beyond the lifetime of individual projects, supporting long-term digital inclusion in a practical and environmentally responsible way.
How the model works
Our model connects three key groups at a local level:
• Place-based organisations delivering digital inclusion activity
• Donor organisations with surplus or end-of-life IT equipment
• Trusted IT reuse and refurbishment partners
Surplus devices are securely wiped using accredited software in line with recognised UK Government and industry standards, refurbished at low cost, and returned to use within the local community.
A proportion of refurbished devices is donated back into the area via the organisation that made the original introduction, helping to sustain digital inclusion activity over time.
Data security and confidence
Data security is central to this approach.
All reuse partners involved in the model are expected to:
• Carry out secure data destruction using accredited software
• Meet UK Government / military-grade data wiping standards
• Provide certification or proof of data destruction per device or drive, where required
• Operate in line with recognised IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) principles
Devices are redistributed through trusted local partners in line with appropriate governance and safeguarding practices.
This ensures donor organisations can participate with confidence, knowing that data protection, compliance, and governance requirements are fully met.
Benefits of this approach
For communities
• Increased access to laptops, tablets, and smartphones
• Reduced reliance on short-term funding for new equipment
• Continued access to essential digital services, including health and recovery support
For donor organisations
• Secure, compliant disposal of end-of-life IT assets
• Clear environmental and social value
• A simple, managed route to reuse
For reuse organisations
• Strong, place-based partnerships
• A consistent and ethical pipeline of devices
• Opportunity to support community impact alongside environmental outcomes
Resources and tools
To support delivery of this approach, we provide practical resources that organisations can adapt to their local context:
• Template letter for organisations with surplus or end-of-life IT
To support conversations with potential donors.
Link: Device donation opportunities
• Introductory email for IT reuse and refurbishment organisation
To help identify trusted partners operating in your area.
Link: Potential refurbishment partners
National directory of device refurbishment organisations on SCVO website
• A Scotland-wide list of organisations involved in device reuse and digital inclusion.
Helping people make informed choices about their own digital access, including affordable connectivity, devices, and local sources of support.
Digital inclusion is most sustainable when people are supported to make informed choices about their own digital access — in ways that work for their circumstances, priorities, and budgets.
This part of our sustainability approach focuses on reducing cost barriers, improving awareness of options, and signposting trusted sources of advice. The aim is not to place responsibility on individuals, but to support people to stay connected beyond the lifetime of funded projects.
Accessing Social Tariff Broadband
Many households are eligible for social tariff broadband, which offers significantly reduced monthly costs for people receiving certain benefits.
Awareness of these tariffs remains low, and uptake varies across Scotland. Supporting people to explore eligibility and understand their options can make a substantial difference to long-term affordability.
Social tariffs are designed to:
• Offer lower-cost broadband packages
• Avoid long-term lock-in contracts
• Provide a safety net for households facing financial pressure
Learn more about social tariffs and eligibility through Ofcom’s official guidance:
Social tariffs: Cheaper broadband and phone packages
Comparing Connectivity Costs
Mobile data prices change regularly. Reviewing current deals and comparing options can help people find better value and avoid unnecessary costs.
Many mainstream providers now include unlimited UK calls and texts, but this is not universal — particularly on pay-as-you-go or specialist tariffs. Always check the details before switching.
Uswitch provides guidance and comparison tools to help people:
• Compare connectivity deals
• Understand contract terms
• Check coverage and reliability
Connectivity comparison site:
SIM Only Deals: Compare with Uswitch
Encouraging informed comparison supports choice and long-term affordability.
Finding Affordable or Refurbished Devices
Access to a suitable device is essential for participation in digital life.
In addition to local device reuse initiatives, there are national and regional options offering:
• Refurbished laptops, tablets, and smartphones
• Low-cost hardware
• Community-based device schemes
Check out the SCVO list of organisations that deal in refurbished devices across Scotland:
Shopping around and understanding refurbished options can reduce costs while maintaining quality and reliability.
Some examples of UK organisations that specialise in refurbished devices.
Ebay: eBay UK
CEX: CEX UK
Accessing Local Support – ALISS
Digital independence is strengthened when people can access trusted, local support.
ALISS (A Local Information System for Scotland) is a national database that helps people find services, groups, and resources in their local area. This can include digital support, advice services, community hubs, and wider wellbeing support.
Using ALISS allows individuals and organisations to:
• Find support relevant to where they live
• Connect digital needs with wider services, including health, housing, recovery, and financial advice
• Access help if challenges arise
Find local support through ALISS:
Why This Matters
Sustaining digital inclusion is not only about providing devices or data in the short term.
It is about ensuring people have the information, confidence, and access to support needed to remain connected over time.
Supporting personal digital independence complements organisational and system-level sustainability — helping digital access remain possible long after individual projects or funding streams have ended.