US Dept of Commerce NTIA: NTIA-DECGP-2024

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Angela Cruze (Inst Future Data Computation)

This Notice of Funding Opportunity solicits applications for the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program (“Competitive Grant Program” or “Program”), the third of three digital equity programs authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, Division F, Title III, Public Law 117-58, 135 Stat. 429, 1209 (November 15, 2021) (“Infrastructure Act”) also known as the (“Digital Equity Act” or “DE Act”). The Digital Equity Act appropriated $2.75 billion to be awarded by the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information (“Assistant Secretary”) to promote digital equity and inclusion.

The Digital Equity Act consists of three funding programs:

1. the $60 million State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program;
2. the $1.44 billion State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program; and
3. the $1.25 billion Competitive Grant Program.

The Digital Equity Planning Grant Program was launched in May of 2022 and is now complete. Under the Planning Grant Program, 56 States and U.S. Territories created Digital Equity Plans that identified the barriers to digital equity faced by certain populations defined by the statute (i.e., “Covered Populations”)1 and measurable objectives for addressing those barriers. The State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program Notice of Funding Opportunity was released on March 29, 2024, and will provide funds to States and U.S. Territories to implement the Digital Equity Plans created through the Digital Equity Planning Grant Program, as well as provide funds for Indian Tribes, Alaska Native entities, and Native Hawaiian organizations (“Native Entities”) to address the digital equity needs of the Covered Populations within those communities. The Capacity Grant Program is on-going and will continue to address the needs of the Covered Populations as identified in the State and U.S. Territories’ Digital Equity Plans and as identified by Native Entities.

The Competitive Grant Program will make funds available to a wide range of entities to address barriers to digital equity faced by Covered Populations as defined by 47 U.S.C. §1721(8). 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 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.