BAND-NC will provide rapid-response community innovation mini-grants to communities across North Carolina to fund local digital inclusion projects to meet unmet community needs. In response to this immediate need, the Institute for Emerging Issues at NC State (IEI) in partnership with the Broadband Infrastructure Office at the NC Department of Information Technology, and with principal support from the John M. Belk Endowment¹, is addressing the digital divide across NC through a new program called “Building a New Digital Economy” (BAND-NC). BAND-NC will provide rapid-response community innovation mini-grants of $5,000 to communities across the state.
Eligible Recipients:
Anchor Institution; Non-Profit Organization; Local Government
Eligible Recipients Detail:
Nonprofits, government institutions, schools/colleges and universities, and churches are eligible to apply for a BAND-NC grant. All applicants should apply on behalf of a county (or a group of counties). Regional entities, such as Councils of Government, can apply on behalf of multiple counties, though the funds cannot exceed $5,000 for any one county, and they must include individual counties in their planning efforts. Applicants should include a list of community partners who are either involved in the project and/or actively supportive of the project and digital inclusion more broadly.
Eligible Purpose:
Digital Skills Training; Broadband Enabled Devices
Eligible Purpose Detail:
Local digital inclusion projects to meet unmet community needs. This includes financing access to the Internet, a device that meets their needs, and the know-how to use it.
