Digital Equity Act Programs: State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program (Part A): States and Territories - FY 2024
| Agency: | U.S. Department of Commerce |
|---|---|
| CFDA: | 11.032 |
| Federal FON: | NTIA-SDECGP-2024 |
| Office: | National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth |
| Multipart Grant: | No |
| Next Due: | 07/31/2024 (Multiple) |
|---|---|
| Solicitation Date: | 03/29/2024 |
| Match Required: | No |
| Actual Funds: | Unspecified |
Summary:
The purpose of this program is to support the implementation of Digital Equity Plans adopted by states and U.S. territories, and to empower Indian tribes, Alaska Native entities, and Native Hawaiian organizations to address digital equity and inclusion consistent with the purposes of the Digital Equity Act. Digital Equity Plans identify the barriers to achieving digital equity faced by covered populations, and include measurable objectives to promote:
- The availability and affordability of access to broadband technology
- Online accessibility and inclusivity of public resources and services
- Digital literacy
- Awareness of online privacy and cybersecurity
- The availability and affordability of consumer devices and technical support for those devices
Award recipients will better understand, measure, and address systemic barriers to digital equity and, in collaboration with the communities most impacted, co-create the conditions necessary for long-lasting and meaningful change to ensure a sustainable future.
This program is intended to promote meaningful adoption and use of broadband services across covered populations, including low-income households, aging populations, incarcerated individuals, veterans, individuals with disabilities, individuals with a language barrier, racial and ethnic minorities, and individuals who primarily reside in rural areas.
Funding will be provided for the following program components:
- (Part A): States and Territories
- (Part B): Native Entities
The purpose of the States and Territories component is to support the implementation of Digital Equity Plans by states and territories. Award recipients must adopt sustainable, long-term programs that address digital equity through defined activities, consistent with their Digital Equity Plans, that will have a measurable impact on the availability, affordability, and adoption of broadband technology, the accessibility and inclusivity of public resources, digital literacy and skills, awareness of the importance of cybersecurity, online privacy, and the availability and affordability of consumer devices. Ultimately, award recipients will ensure that all Americans are able to benefit from broadband infrastructure.
Project activities must focus on creating the necessary conditions to empower individuals and communities with the technological capacity to fully participate in society and the economy. Award recipients must consider the following criteria and focal points of the program:
- Focus on covered populations, with priority given to projects with the greatest potential impact, such as those that target covered households
- Long-lasting impact and meaningful change
- Measurable implementation strategies
- Stakeholder engagement
Award recipients are encouraged to develop new and innovative strategies. Potential programs, activities, and interventions include:
- Digital literacy and skills training
- E-government and civic engagement
- Device distribution programs
- Economic development activities
- Online access to health and mental wellness services
- Online accessibility
- Access to affordable broadband services
Refer to pages 33-35 of the NOFA file for additional information regarding the program's focal points and potential project activities.
Funds may be used for:
- Updating or maintaining the state Digital Equity Plan
- Implementation of state Digital Equity Plans
- Making subawards to eligible entities to assist in the implementation of state Digital Equity Plans, to pursue digital inclusion activities, and to report to award recipients regarding digital inclusion activities
- Evaluating the efficacy of project efforts
- Limited administrative costs
Optional webinars are scheduled for this program. Refer to the Application section for details.
Last Updated: April 01, 2024
Eligibility Notes:
Eligible applicants are:
- States that have submitted a Digital Equity Plan that meets the requirements of United States Code (U.S.C.) 47, §1723 (c)
- U.S. territories that submit a Digital Equity Plan consistent with the obligations of their award through the State Digital Equity Planning program, known in eCivis Grants Network as US17711
Each state or territory must select an administering entity or an administering organization to administer awards. Such entities may be state agencies, political subdivisions of states, instrumentalities of states, tribal entities, nonprofit entities, community anchor institutions, local educational agencies, and other entities providing services in the applicable state or territory. Refer to pages 16-17 of the NOFA file for additional information regarding administering entities/organizations.
Eligible Applicants:
State GovernmentApplication Notes:
Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. ET on one of the following dates, as appropriate:
- States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: May 28, 2024
- U.S. territories other than Puerto Rico: July 31, 2024
Applications must be submitted online at grants.ntia.gov. Mailed, delivered, emailed, and faxed submissions will not be accepted.
Applications must include:
- SF 424
- CD 511
- SF LLL (if applicable)
- Negotiated indirect cost agreement (if applicable)
- Description of the entity selected to serve as the administering entity for the state or territory
- Digital equity plan
- Certification that the state or territory, acting through the administering entity for the state or through the administering organization for the territory, will implement project within five years of awards
- Required assurances, as listed on pages 85-86 of the NOFA file
- Project narrative, as detailed on pages pages 28-29 of the NOFA file
- Confirmation that applicant will use no more than 20 percent of awards to update digital equity plans, the activities that will be conducted to update the plan, and a timeline for updates
Refer to pages 27-31 of the NOFA file for additional information regarding the content of applications.
The following are required in order to submit an application:
- Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
- SAM (System for Award Management) registration
- SPOC (state Single Point of Contact) notification
Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam. Applicants in states participating in the SPOC program must contact the relevant SPOC listed in the SPOC file before applying.
Optional presolicitation technical assistance webinars are scheduled for this program as follows:
March 9, 2022
2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
March 23, 2022
2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
April 6, 2022
2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
April 27, 2022
2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
May 11, 2022
2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
The funding agency will post webinar registration information online at broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov/events/latest-events. Webinar recordings are expected to be posted online at broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov and www.youtube.com/ntiagov within seven days following the live session.
Optional application technical assistance webinars are scheduled as follows:
Application Technical Assistance Webinar:
June 2, 2022
3:00 p.m. ET
Register: ntia-gov.zoomgov.com/webinar/register
Tribal Engagement Webinar:
June 9, 2022
4:00 p.m. ET
Register: ntia-gov.zoomgov.com/webinar/register
Applications will be reviewed as detailed on pages 40-41 of the NOFA file. Applicants may be asked to provide additional information, or to revise applications to address deficiencies.
Refer to the NOFA file for additional application information.
| Match Required: | No |
|---|---|
| Actual Funds: | Unspecified |
Match Notes:
Matching funds are not required for this program. The funding agency will not provide additional consideration to applicants that provide nonfederal contributions. However, projects need not be wholly funded by the program. In many cases, State Digital Equity Plans are designed to leverage multiple funding sources and partnerships to achieve objectives, including other federal awards, private sector partnerships, philanthropic organizations, and local government investments. To maintain financial transparency and ensure the effective use of funds, applicants that plan to use multiple funding sources in the implementation of their project must submit with their application a description of all other funding sources they intend to use, the amounts to be allocated, and the specific Digital Equity Plan elements to be funded using alternative sources.
Funding Notes:
An unspecified amount of funding is available through this program overall, with the following amounts available through this component:
- States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: a total of $760.8 million
- U.S. territories, excluding Puerto Rico: $8.4 million
At least 1 percent of the funding available through this program overall will be made available to territories. Refer to pages 20-21 of the NOFA file for additional information regarding the total amount of funding available through this program overall.
Awards through this component will be made on a formula basis. Awards for states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico will be calculated according to the formula outlined on pages 22-23 of the NOFA file, and tentative allocation amounts are listed on page 24 of the NOFA file. Awards for U.S. territories, excluding Puerto Rico, are expected to be for $2.1 million.
The funding agency expects to begin issuing awards by August 28, 2024. Following this date, additional awards will be made on a rolling basis.
Project periods will span five years form the date of awards.
The following cost limitations apply to this component:
- No more than 20 percent of awards may be used to update or maintain Digital Equity Plans, as applicable
- No more than 5 percent may be used to evaluate the efficacy of efforts funded by awards to subrecipients
- No more than 3 percent may be used for administrative costs
- No more than 10 percent may be used for subsidies for the provision of broadband services through affordable broadband programs
If applicable, each award recipient must establish a fair, transparent, equitable, and inclusive process for selective subrecipients of subawards.
Funds may not be used for:
- Supplanting other federal or state funds available for the same purposes
- Conducting website upgrades or other accessibility projects that are otherwise required by law
- Deployment of broadband infrastructure to connect broadband-serviceable locations, generally
- Profit, fees, or incremental charges above actual costs
- Supporting or opposing collective bargaining
Contacts:
Primary Contact:
Angela Thi Bennett
Director of Digital Equity
(202) 482-2048
digitalequity@ntia.gov
Grant Management Contact:
Darren Olson
Grants Officer
(720) 693-0465
darren.olson@nist.gov
Agency Address
U.S. Department of Commerce
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
1401 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20230
Contact Notes:
Questions should be directed to the appropriate program contact.
Applications must be submitted online at grants.ntia.gov.
The agency address provided is for reference purposes only.
Files:
NOFA File: US17712A_NOFA_FY2024.pdf (647.4 Kb)Other Pre-Award File: US17712A_Webinar_FY2024.pdf (527.3 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17712A_Webinar2_FY2024.pdf (41.8 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17712A_Webinar3_FY2024.pdf (148.1 Kb)
Federal Forms:
SF 424 (144.4 Kb)CD 511 (130.2 Kb)
SPOC (195.6 Kb)
SF LLL (98.7 Kb)
File Notes:
The NOFA file contains the full solicitation for this program. The Webinar, Webinar2, and Webinar3 files contain information regarding webinars scheduled for this program. The required federal forms are attached. The SPOC file contains information on the state Single Point of Contact program.
April 1, 2024
Full solicitation information for this program has been released and uploaded as the NOFA file. All sections have been updated accordingly.
June 8, 2022
Information regarding an additional webinar scheduled for this program has been released and attached as the Webinar3 file. The Application section has been updated accordingly.
May 25, 2022
Information regarding an additional webinar scheduled for this program has been released and attached as the Webinar2 file. The Application section has been updated accordingly.
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Community DevelopmentInformation Technology/Telecommunications
Rural Issues
Human Services
Science/Technology