North Carolina Launches $24 Million Digital Equity Grant Program

Gov Roy Cooper (D-NC) is launching North Carolina's first digital equity grant program, which will help North Carolinians afford high-speed internet, obtain digital devices, and access digital literacy resources. The multi-phased program, administered by the NC Department of Information Technology’s Office of Digital Equity and Literacy, will invest up to $24 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for collaborative digital equity projects. The program’s first phase will invest $10 million in total funding to support 10-15 state government entities to develop or expand digital inclusion programs. Each grantee will be awarded a maximum of $2 million for a project that must be completed by the end of 2024. In winter 2023, the Office of Digital Equity and Literacy will launch the second phase of the digital equity grant program, a competitive grant process with $14 million in total funding, which will be open to applications from municipalities and nonprofits, community-based organizations, and key stakeholder groups for local digital inclusion projects and device distribution.