Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $20 Million to Boost Digital Equity

The Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) at MassTech announced $20 million in new grants through the state’s Digital Equity Partnerships Program, which supports high-impact and scalable initiatives that reach residents most affected by the digital divide. The grants will fund a range of services, including regional networks of digital navigators who will train individuals in digital literacy, device refurbishment and distribution, neighborhood-scale broadband connectivity, digital education for workforce development, telehealth resource navigation, and a statewide effort to provide free WiFi in affordable housing and public housing developments. 

The grant recipients include:

• AgeSpan, which will receive $3 million
• The Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, which will receive $3.75 million
• The Metropolitan Area Planning Council, which will receive $5.6 million
• The Metro North Workforce Investment Board, which will receive $4.1 million
• UMass Lowell, which will receive $4.0 million

The Digital Equity Partnerships Program launched in September 2022 to support organizations across the state in implementing projects that meet the digital equity goals outlined in the Commonwealth’s 2021 American Rescue Plan Act COVID recovery legislation.