California Emerging Technology Fund Local Government Best Practices Check List Project Announcement of $20,000 Grants to 36 Local Governments

The California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) announced the award of $20,000 Digital Equity Leadership Grants to 36 jurisdictions in California to participate in the Local Government Best Practices Check List Project to accelerate the adoption of policies and practices to accelerate progress in closing the Digital Divide in California. The CETF Digital Equity Leadership Grants are made possible as a result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between CETF and T‐Mobile USA in which T‐Mobile committed to specified public benefits in conjunction with its acquisition of Sprint in 2020, including $5,000,000 for Digital Equity Leadership Grants. CETF has committed $1,155,000 to the Local Government Best Practices Check List Project. The Counties and Cities applying for the Best Practices Check List Digital Equity Leadership Grants all agreed to participate in 3 online workshops, referred to as a "Learning Community," between September 2024 and March 2025 to address common challenges, share their expertise, and identify lessons learned that can be available in a public report by June 2025.