Digital Divide Grant Program 

Public Utilities Code Section 280.5, enacted in 2003 by AB 855 (Firebaugh, Chapter 820, Statutes of 2003), established the Digital Divide Grant Program. It requires the Commission to award grants to fund digital divide programs. The Digital Divide Grant Program is funded by a percentage of fees collected from the lease of certain state-owned property to wireless telecommunications service providers for wireless telecommunications facilities, pursuant to Govt. Code Section 14666.8.

On September 18, 2020, the Commission initiated Rulemaking 20-09-001 (the “Broadband for All” proceeding) to set the strategic direction and implement changes necessary to expeditiously deploy reliable, fast, and affordable broadband. Phase One of the proceeding concluded on October 25, 2021, resulting in Decision 21-10-020. The decision delegated to the Communications Division staff the authority to approve grants from the Digital Divide Account that meet the criteria set forth in Ordering Paragraph 7 and Pub. Util. Code § 280.5.

The CPUC has extended the application deadline for the DDGP program until May 30, 2025. Please see the DDGP 2024-25 Application Flyer for more information. 

For a list of potentially eligible schools please see the DDGP Eligible Schools List.

DDGP Distribution List 

DDGP Distribution List 

If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail us at DigitalDivideGrantProgram@cpuc.ca.gov.

The Digital Divide Grant Program provided four grants of up to $250,000 each to help fund projects aimed at combating the digital divide. Eligible projects served a beneficiary school located in an urban or rural low-income small school district. The beneficiary school must have a free lunch participation rate of at least 50 percent. Projects may address physical gaps in local broadband networks, affordability, access to personal devices, and digital skills training. Projects must provide a holistic solution, including but not limited to student home broadband connection, student required hardware (e.g., laptop, notebook and/or hotspots), student curriculum focused on the use of technology, software to enable distance learning for student and teacher, and training for teachers in the use of technology for distance learning.

Grant recipients must be a non-profit community-based organization (CBO) with a demonstrated record of work to addressing the digital divide. The CBO will collaborate with a partner public school or district to deploy the project, with the public school or district being the beneficiary of the project. 

Awardee’s

August 10, 2023: CPUC Awards Nearly $1 Million in Grants To Help Close Digital Divide at Schools in Low-Income Urban and Rural Areas (CPUC Press Release)

T-17794 Adopted

Outside the Lens. $250,000

Schools served:

  • Monarch School, San Diego.
  • San Pasqual Academy, San Diego.
  • TBA

Human I-T. $250,000

Schools served:

  • Wonderland College Prep Academy Delano, Delano.
  • Wonderland College Prep Academy Lost Hills, Lost Hills.

Small School District Association. $249,650.

Schools served:

  • Owens Valley Elementary, Independence.
  • Owens Valley High, Independence.

Thrive. $249,820.

Schools served:

  • Surprise Valley High School, Cedarville.
Surprise Valley Elementary, Cedarville.

From Pilot to Permanent 

The Digital Divide Grant Program, on December 5, 2024, became a permanent program for eligible Community Technology Programs. Resolution T-17842 moves the moves the program from a pilot program to a permanent program and announced a new application cycle. 

Resolution T-17842

Application Instructions

For a list of potentially eligible schools please see the DDGP Eligible Schools List.

The total grant amount available is $200,000 yearly, on an ongoing basis until funds are exhausted or otherwise discontinued. This Resolution authorizes up to: 

  • $100,000 to projects for low-income rural and urban schools,
  • and up to two $50,000 awards to projects for Community-Based Organizations (CBOs).
  • The source of the funding is the Digital Divide Account.

The grants are aimed at reducing the digital divide in schools and communities located in low-income urban and rural areas by providing necessary resources and access to digital technology. The projects aim to deliver holistic solutions through digital literacy training, take-home devices, and broadband connections.

Detailed application instructions are attached to resolution T-17842 at Appendix A and are also available for download at the DDGP webpage at http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/ddgp.  A CBO will submit its completed application, including all required documents, by email to: DigitalDivideGrantProgram@cpuc.ca.gov.

2025 DDGP Application Deadline Extension

Application Deadline Extension- The CPUC began accepting applications on December 12, 2024, with an established deadline for final submission of DDGP applications by February 12, 2025. Due to the number of applications received and the remaining available funds, CPUC finds it reasonable to extend the 2025 DDGP application deadline to May 30, 2025. These changes only apply to 2025 DDGP applications; the timeline for future grants will follow the resolutions that approve those grants.

Revised Application Timeline: 

Activity

Date

Resolution setting forth the DDGP adopted

December 5, 2024

Application period begins

December 12, 2024

Application period ends

May 30, 2025

Staff review and scoring of grant applications completed

June 30, 2025

Awardees announced via Notice of Draft Resolution

July 2025

Notice of Award provided upon adoption of Final Resolution

August 2025.