Press release from North Carolina State University — Institute for Emerging Issues
RALEIGH—The Institute for Emerging Issues (IEI) at NC State University is excited to announce its first round of grant recipients for Building a New Digital Economy in NC (BAND-NC). Eleven North Carolina counties will each receive a $5,000 grant to help bridge the digital divide in their communities.
BAND-NC is a grant program designed to increase the number of people with the internet in their homes, with the goal of making the state “first in digital inclusion.” The effort is in partnership with the NC Broadband Infrastructure Office (BIO), the John M. Belk Endowment, the Atlantic Telephone Membership Corporation, Roanoke Electric Cooperative and the North Carolina Electric Cooperatives.
BAND-NC is designed to support $5,000 “rapid response community innovation grants” this summer, a series of workshops led by IEI and BIO to help communities develop “digital inclusion plans” this fall, and another round of $5,000 “implementation” grants in 2021.
Since the opening of the BAND-NC rolling grant application process, there have been a number of creative initiatives submitted, all aimed at addressing the ongoing challenges surrounding access and digital literacy. The first round of grant recipients includes six projects in 11 counties (listed below), and more information about each project can be found by visiting the IEI website at iei.ncsu.edu/band-nc/grantees/.
- Alamance, Guilford and Forsyth Counties (Piedmont Triad Regional Council)
- Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania Counties (Land of Sky Regional Council)
- Carteret County (Carteret County Economic Development Foundation, Inc.)
- Craven County (Peletah Ministries)
- McDowell County (Connect McDowell)
- Watauga County (Watauga County Schools)
“These proposals from communities across the state represent innovative solutions to address the digital divide,” said Maggie Woods, IEI Program and Policy Manager and BAND-NC program lead. “More importantly, they are meeting needs in places that have been heavily affected by the pandemic.”
“We’re learning so much about what communities are facing across our state,” said Leslie Boney, IEI Director. “These organizations are a reminder of the power of local people to develop local solutions to the specific needs their communities are facing. We couldn’t be happier to support their work.”
Applications are still being accepted for BAND-NC. To learn more and apply, visit iei.ncsu.edu/band-nc.
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