The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is soliciting applications for the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program.
Donor Name: National Telecommunications and Information Administration
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 09/23/2024
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: 4 Years
Details:
The Competitive Grant Program will support efforts to achieve digital equity, promote digital inclusion activities, and spur greater adoption and meaningful use of broadband among the Covered Populations. Specifically, the Digital Equity Act authorizes funds to be used for the development and implementation of digital inclusion activities that benefit the Covered Populations; programs that facilitate the adoption of broadband by Covered Populations to provide educational and employment opportunities; training programs that cover basic, advanced, and applied skills; workforce development programs; access to equipment, instrumentation, networking capability, hardware and software, or digital network technology for broadband services at low or no cost; and the construction or operation of public access computing centers for Covered Populations.
Awards will focus on addressing the needs of the Covered Populations not met by the Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program and will strive for a diverse pool of recipients. To ensure funds are directed to the most effective programs with the greatest reach, and to minimize administrative overhead, NTIA encourages proposals that demonstrate a broad partnership of entities with the ability to administer significant resources and address the varied concerns of the Covered Populations.
The Goal of the proposed programs, projects, and activities will support efforts to achieve digital equity, promote digital inclusion activities, and spur greater adoption and meaningful use of broadband among the Covered Populations.
Funding Information
- Congress has appropriated $750,000,000 for grants under the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program through fiscal year 2024. Five (5) percent ($37,500,000) is reserved for Native Entities and one (1) percent ($7,500,000) is reserved for U.S. Territories. NTIA expects to make awards to Eligible Entities, including Native Entities, within a range of $5,000,000 and $12,000,000. Awards to U.S. Territories will not exceed $2,500,000.
- Congress appropriated an additional $250,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 which is anticipated to become available in October of 2024. If these funds become available, NTIA intends to award these funds under this NOFO, subject to the required statutory set asides and administrative expenses, if there are sufficient meritorious applications. In the event that the additional funds are made available, the Native Entity set aside will increase to $50,000,000 and the U.S. Territory set aside will increase to $10,000,000.
Project Period
Grant recipients must expend the grant amounts during the four (4) year period after the date on which the entity is awarded the grant. Grant recipients may continue to measure and evaluate the activities supported with the grant amounts for a period of one (1) year after the initial four (4) year Period of Performance. No extensions to the four (4) year Period of Performance or the one (1) year evaluation period will be granted.
Deadlines
- Applications from Eligible Entities must be received by September 23, 2024.
- Applications from U.S. Territories must be received by October 22, 2024.
Eligible Projects
Develop and implement digital inclusion activities that benefit one or more of the Covered Populations; Facilitate the adoption of broadband by the Covered Populations in order to provide educational and employment opportunities; Implement training programs for the Covered Populations that cover basic, advanced, and applied skills; Implement workforce development programs; Make available equipment, instrumentation, networking capability and digital network technology for broadband services to Covered Populations at low or no cost; Construct, upgrade, expand, or operate new or existing public access computing centers for Covered Populations through community anchor institutions; or undertake any other project or activity the Assistant Secretary finds to be consistent with the purposes of the Program. Grantees may also use not more than 10 percent of the grant amount to measure and evaluate the activities supported with the grant amounts.
Eligibility Criteria
The following entities are eligible to apply for grants under this Program if the entity is not serving, and has not served, as the administering entity for a State under 47 U.S.C. §1723(b):
- A political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality of a State, including an agency of a State that is responsible for administering or supervising adult education and literacy activities, or for providing public housing, in the State.
- An Indian Tribe, an Alaska Native entity, or a Native Hawaiian organization.
- A foundation, corporation, institution, or association that is
- A not-for-profit entity; and
- Not a school.
- A community anchor institution.
- A local educational agency.
- An entity that carries out a workforce development program.
- A partnership between any of the entities described in paragraphs (1) through (6).
U.S. Territories may apply for the territorial set aside provided for at 47 U.S.C. §1724(j)(3) by submitting an application.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
