Deadline: 19-Feb-21
The Expanding Potential in Communities (EPIC) Grant program has been announced that support broadband initiatives in the southeastern United States, funded by Truist Financial Corporation’s Truist Cares initiative, a $50 million philanthropic pledge to help rebuild communities in the company’s markets affected by COVID-19.
As the administrating partner, the Internet Society will support local broadband expansion by funding complementary Internet connectivity solutions to help alleviate disparities in education, employment, and social welfare that are exacerbated by lack of access to broadband.
Funding Information
- The $1 million Truist EPIC Grant will be distributed starting in April 2021 to as many as seven cooperative broadband projects in funds between $125,000 and $180,000.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered for a grant:
- Timeframe – project must show tangible results within a year of receiving funding. Funding will occur in two stages between April and December 2021.
- Location – project must be completed in one of the following states: North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Washington DC, South Carolina, Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Delaware, Maryland.
- Bandwidth – project must provide a minimum broadband threshold for deployment.
- Applicant must have an official bank account in their name (based on their legal registration) in order to be eligible for a grant.
Selection Criteria
Grant proposals that meet the minimum eligibility criteria, will be reviewed against the following criteria:
- Dedicated local champion;
- Community-backed support;
- Sustainability plan;
- Minimum bandwidth requirements;
- Availability of local tech partners (ISP, IXP);
- Financial management skills;
- Digital literacy;
- Low barrier from local laws – low license fees;
- Available spectrum (low fees);
- End-user hardware available (phone, computer, WiFi router);
- Power infrastructure for towers;
- Local infrastructure for deployment (schools, libraries);
- Target demographic impacted.
How to Apply
- Review the Eligibility and Selection Criteria sections to ensure that you are a good fit for this grant.
- Download the instructions for applying and prepare your PDF application submission accordingly.
- Once you have prepared the PDF application, go to the Apply page and fill out the registration form. Upload your application and click ‘Submit Your Application’.
* You must accept the privacy consent in order to submit your application.
Disclaimer
- The Internet Society reserves the sole right to decide if an applicant and grant proposal meets the eligibility requirements.
- * Truist Cares is a cooperative effort between Truist Financial Corporation, Truist Foundation, Inc., and Truist Charitable Fund to provide communities, organizations and individuals disaster relief and assistance during the COVID-19 crisis.
For more information, visit https://www.internetsociety.org/grants/epic/