Funding Opportunities for Minority Serving Institutions
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 created the “Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program.” $285 million allocated to the Program will provide grant funding to eligible recipients to purchase broadband or eligible equipment, or to hire and train information technology personnel.
Eligible Entities Eligible entities include:
Award Allocation Of the total awards given through the program, at least 40% of grants must be made to HBCUs, and at least 20% of grants must be made to HBCUs, TCUs, and other minority serving institutions to provide broadband service or equipment to their students. Eligible equipment includes Wi-Fi hotspots; modems, routers, or combined modem/routers; laptops, tablets, or similar internet-connected devices; and any other equipment used to provide broadband. What will the grant support?
For higher education recipients, grants are intended to support instruction and learning, including remote learning. For minority business enterprises and nonprofits, grants are intended to support the operation of the organization. Educational institutions that receive a grant to support student connectivity must prioritize students that:
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Houston-Galveston Region's Minority-Serving InstitutionsHouston Baptist University Houston | hbu.edu Hispanic-serving Institution Prairie View A&M University Prairie View | pvamu.edu Historically Black University Sam Houston State University Huntsville | shsu.edu Hispanic-serving Institution Texas Southern University Houston | tsu.edu Historically Black University University of Houston - Downtown Houston | uhd.edu Hispanic-serving Institution University of St. Thomas Houston | stthom.edu Asian-serving and Hispanic-serving Institution Minority Enterprise & Non-profit OrganizationsBrazoria County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce bchispanicchamber.net Greater Houston Black Chamber of Commerce ghbcc.com Houston Asian Chamber of Commerce asianchamber-hou.org Houston Minority Development Supplier Network hmsdc.org |
Related Webinars
March 19, 2021 Webinar: NTIA Grant Programs in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021
The precursor to the program was the Minority Broadband Initiative (December 2020)
The precursor to the program was the Minority Broadband Initiative (December 2020)
Additional Resources
There are a number of conversations related to digital inclusion for minority communities and approaches to turn the tide.
- "Coalitions & Digital Equity Planning" from DigitalInclusion.org (Recorded April 21, 2021)
- "Racial Equity and Digital Inclusion Webinar" from National Digital Inclusion Alliance (Recorded October 1, 2020)
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