Deadline: 15-Mar-22
The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) through the Office of Statewide Broadband (OSB) is administering funding for the Digital Inclusion Grant Program (MD-DIG).
The MD-GAPS grant program is designed to assist local jurisdictions, local community-based organizations, non-profits, and anchor institutions in creating Gap Networks and Community Networks.
Covered Populations
This grant program and its funding are purposed for the following covered populations who are most in need:
- individuals who live in a household with income less than or equal to 150 percent of the federal poverty level;
- aging individuals;
- individuals with disabilities;
- individuals with a language barrier, including individuals who –
- are English learners; and
- have low levels of literacy;
- individuals who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group.
Eligible Uses of Funds
The use of these funds is to make available equipment, instrumentation, networking capability, hardware, software, or digital network technology for broadband services to covered populations at low or no cost. This includes but is not limited to:
- The building and deployment of new gap networks/community networks at the required speed for covered populations.
- To upgrade or expand existing gap networks/community networks at the required speed for covered populations.
- To operate and maintain new or existing gap networks/community networks at the required speed for covered populations.
- Electronics are necessary to deliver service to an end-user including, but not limited to Optical Line Terminals (OLT’s), Optical Network Terminals (ONT’s), routers, switches, firewalls, wireless radio equipment, antennas, access points, and modems, and any necessary equipment shelters.
Funding Information
- The Office will facilitate the award of financial assistance for up to 100% for the construction, deployment, expansion, or continuation of community-based gap networks.
- The maximum grant request amount is $250,000 and the minimum amount is $25,000.
- Only applications that are fully complete at submission will be considered for funding.
- MD-GAPS program is a competitive funding opportunity and individual grant amounts may be reduced relative to requests and/or based on the impact of the applicant’s intended population and ability to deploy funds responsibly and as soon as possible.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible to apply, an applicant must meet one of the following criteria:
- be a local government (Counties & Municipalities);
- be a foundation, corporation, institution, association, or coalition that is – (i) a not-for-profit IRS approved 501(c) entity and (ii) providing services within the State of Maryland; or
- a community-based anchor institution; or
- other community-based organizations; and
- must be registered and, if applicable, in good standing with the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation.
For more information, visit DHCD.
For more information, visit https://dhcd.maryland.gov/Broadband/Pages/MD-GAPS.aspx