Digital Equity Program Capacity Grant

Digital Equity Program Capacity Grant is sponsored by Empire State Development (ESD) ConnectALL Office. This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

ConnectALL Digital Equity Program Capacity Grant # Request for Applications Contact: digitalequity@esd. ny. gov using the subject line “Digital Equity Program Capacity Grant RFA” This Request for Applications (“RFA”) is posted on the Empire State Development website: https://broadband.

ny. gov/digital-equity-program-capacity-grant Applications must be submitted through the New York State Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) Portal: https://apps. cio.

ny. gov/apps/cfa/ August 25, 2025 by 11:59pm EST Table of Contents Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................................ 0 1.

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 1 2. Program Background ........................................................................................................................

2 Funding Source - State .............................................................................................................................. 2 New York State Digital Equity Plan - Assets as Metrics .......................................................................... 2 3.

Program Purpose & Description....................................................................................................... 2 4. Program Eligibility.............................................................................................................................

4 Eligible Applicants.................................................................................................................................... 4 Allowable Costs ........................................................................................................................................

5 Unallowable Costs .................................................................................................................................... 6 5. Additional Terms................................................................................................................................

6 Matching Equity Contribution .................................................................................................................. 6 Letters of Support .....................................................................................................................................

7 Period of Performance .............................................................................................................................. 7 Non-Discrimination and Contractor & Supplier Diversity ....................................................................... 7 6.

Applicant Selection & Grant-making Process ................................................................................. 7 Application Review .................................................................................................................................. 7 Scoring Criteria .........................................................................................................................................

8 7. How to Apply ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Consolidated Funding Application Portal .................................................................................................

8 Timeline .................................................................................................................................................... 9 Information Sessions.................................................................................................................................

9 Technical Assistance Sessions .................................................................................................................. 9 Q&A Process ............................................................................................................................................

9 Addenda and RFA Updates .................................................................................................................... 11 Grant Disbursement Agreements ............................................................................................................

11 Glossary Asset Organization/entity, program, coalition, service, initiative, partnership, or material digital inclusion resource (e.g., curriculum, tool, platform) that is, or can be, leveraged to promote digital equity.

Community Anchor Institution A public school, a public or multi-family housing authority, a library, a medical or healthcare provider, a community college or other institution of higher education, a State or Territory library agency, and any other nonprofit or governmental community support organization.

A household, the income of which for the most recently completed year is not more than 150 percent of an amount equal to the poverty level, as determined by using criteria of poverty established by the Bureau of the Census. Digital Equity A condition in which individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in society and the economy.

Individual- and community-level access to robust broadband connections; Internet-enabled devices to meet their needs; and skills to explore, create , and collaborate in the digital world. Skills for using technology to enable users to find, evaluate, organize, create, and communicate information.

Trusted guides who assist community members with ongoing, individualized support for accessing affordable and appropriate connectivity, devices, and digital skills. 1 A combination of formal, informal, and government assets, including organizations, programs, partnerships, and other efforts that deliver digital equity resources to State residents and contribute to the Measurable Objectives of the Digital Equity Plan.

An entity that submits an application on behalf of a partnership. The Lead Applicant is responsible for meeting all Program requirements as set forth in the Request for Applications and for fulfilling the obligations of the grant award. The Lead Applicant is responsible for apportioning and distributing funding to subrecipients that they are partnering with and establishing clear roles and responsibilities within the partnership.

(1) the availability and affordability of access to broadband technology; (2) online accessibility and inclusivity of public resources and services; (3) digital literacy; (4) awareness of online privacy and cybersecurity; and (5) the availability and affordability of consumer devices and technical support for those devices. 2 > 1See National Digital Inclusion Alliance, Digital Navigator Model ,at https://www. digitalinclusion.

org/digital-navigator-model/ . > 2ConnectALL, New York State Digital Equity Plan ,https://broadband. ny.

gov/new-york-state-digital-equity-plan-0 ,p. 33. Partnership A collaborative arrangement between two or more organizations for the purpose of improving digital equity impacts.

Project Team All entities involved in a single application, with delineated roles and responsibilities. Regrant A subaward or subcontract to a subrecipient to carry out part of the Proposed Project. Subrecipient An entity that receives a subaward or subcontract from the Applicant to carry out part of the program.

ConnectALL | broadband. ny. gov | 1 The New York State Urban Development Corporation d/b/a Empire State Development (“ESD”) promotes a vigorous and growing State economy by encouraging business investment and job creation.

ESD supports diverse, prosperous local economies across New York State with the efficient use of loans, grants, tax credits, real estate development, marketing, and other forms of assistance.

ESD’s ConnectALL Office is Governor Hochul’s initiative to transform New York State’s digital infrastructure, so all residents and businesses have access to high-speed, reliable, and affordable broadband for education, economic growth, and full participation in civic life. ConnectALL provides grants through multiple programs to address the digital divide and to promote a robust broadband marketplace.

As described in New York State’s Digital Equity Plan (the “Plan”), ConnectALL’s Digital Equity Program Capacity Grant (the “Program”) will increase the capacity of the State’s digital equity ecosystem to sustain progress towards closing the digital divide and improving outcomes in: • employment and job readiness • access to essential government services.

The five Measurable Objectives, as defined in New York State’s Digital Equity Plan, will be measured and tracked to demonstrate tangible progress towards digital equity and these five outcome areas.

The Plan includes four strategies for increasing the State’s digital equity capacity through the investment of funding: • Grounding investments in an asset-based approach by funding the digital equity ecosystem to sustainably scale and improve its services and opportunities for residents; • Strengthening networks to share resources and take coordinated action; • Building alignment and awareness of digital inclusion resources broadly; and • Sharpening and socializing the State’s digital equity lens by commissioning robust research and data evaluations of programs, models, and impacts.

This Request For Applications (“RFA”) process addresses the first strategy listed above. The RFA process will build and strengthen New York’s digital equity capacities by supporting a range of entities delivering high-quality programs to populations across the State with particular emphasis on developing new approaches to serving these populations.

To ensure that activities funded through this RFA have enduring impact, ConnectALL seeks to promote ConnectALL | broadband. ny. gov | 2 collaborations between entities to share best practices and align capabilities that extend and amplify impacts.

Proposals for well-structured partnerships that enable collaborators to address a common digital equity challenge, and then scale the solution, will be strongly considered. Funds will be awarded as 18-month grants in support of local, regional, and statewide programs, services, and collaborations that specifically address digital literacies and skills, digital privacy and security, and targeted accessibility projects.

Proposals to distribute devices must be explicitly tied to digital literacy education and other supports, and/or build the refurbishing, recycling, and donor landscape. 3 Under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Digital Equity Act provided $2. 75 billion to establish digital equity and inclusion grant programs.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (“NTIA”), the federal agency charged with administering the Digital Equity Act, provided funding to support the production of New York State’s Digital Equity Plan, which NTIA approved in April 2024. ConnectALL is applying State funding under its Digital Equity Program to support this specific Request for Applications in accordance with the Plan.

The funding source for grants awarded under this RFA is the New York State Executive Budget (FY 22-23). New York State Digital Equity Plan - Assets as Metrics ConnectALL aims to increase the capacity of New York’s digital equity ecosystem over the next ten years. 4 ConnectALL will use its Digital Equity Asset Inventory to benchmark progress towards this goal .

Grants made through this Program will create new assets and improve capacity of existing organizations and collaborations across the State. An asset may be an organization/entity, program, coalition, service, initiative, partnership, or material digital inclusion resource (e.g., curriculum, tool, platform) that is, or can be, leveraged to promote digital equity. # 3.

Program Purpose & Description ConnectALL intends to use up to $5,350,000 in funds for grants under this RFA. Applicants may request a range from a minimum of $250,000 to a maximum of $750,000 to fund the following activities: > 3Note: devices on their own will not be an eligible cost for reimbursement. > 4ConnectALL, New York State Digital Equity Plan ,https://broadband.

ny. gov/new-york-state-digital-equity-plan-0 ,p. 162.

ConnectALL | broadband. ny. gov | 3 • deliver and scale new and/or strengthen existing high quality digital inclusion programs and services; • support innovation and new approaches through collaboration and partnerships; or • otherwise contribute new assets, knowledge, and practices to New York’s Digital Equity ecosystem.

Eligible uses of these funds must develop digital equity conditions and capacities that empower individuals and communities to fully participate in society and the economy. Funds should create meaningful change against systemic, persistent barriers to digital access and lead to sustained contributions to the Measurable Objectives of the Plan.

ConnectALL anticipates awarding between 10-12 grants selected through this competitive RFA process, with the final number of awards subject to ConnectALL’s discretion based on the volume and quality of applications received and other factors. Proposals must demonstrate, at a minimum, the following criteria : • An explicit alignment with the State’s Digital Equity Plan's goals and objectives.

• A clear articulation of digital equity gaps and opportunities facing populations in New York State. • At least three years of experience working with population(s) that the Proposed Project intends to serve. Applicant must demonstrate related local knowledge, direct experience, and/or engagement.

• A compelling rationale for how the proposed project will help achieve progress towards the Measurable Objectives that will address gaps and opportunities. • Project activities that are measurable, achievable, sustainable, and timebound.

• An ability and willingness to engage or a record of having already engaged populations in the design, delivery and/or evaluation of the Proposed Project’s interventions, potential solutions, and/or improvements. • If the proposal aims to scale impacts through a partnership, the proposal must clearly articulate how funds will be apportioned to each partner, how partners were selected, and clearly delineate roles and responsibilities.

• A methodology and plan to measure and report intended outputs and outcomes. • A commitment to sharing innovations and improvements with peers and the field.

• Demonstrated financial capacity to manage a reimbursable grant award as demonstrated with three years of audited financial statements (or comparable documentation acceptable to ConnectALL), as well as the Applicant’s latest Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax Form (990 Form).

Two or more organizations may apply together in a collaborative proposal, so long as a single organization signs the proposal as the official Applicant. ConnectALL | broadband. ny.

gov | 4 An Applicant must be able to demonstrate history and/or proficiency with government grants and projects of comparable financial scale and complexity to what the Applicant has proposed.

Eligible Applicants must directly serve one or more population(s) in the State of New York through the provision of one or more of the Measurables Objectives laid out in the State Digital Equity Plan, below: • Broadband affordability ; • Online accessibility and inclusivity of public resources and services; • Awareness of online privacy and cybersecurity; and • Availability and affordability of consumer devices and technical support for those devices.

Applicants must be one of the following: • A local political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality of the State of New York, including an agency of the State that is responsible for administering or supervising adult education and literacy activities, or for providing public housing, in the State.

• A foundation, corporation, institution, organization, or association that is: o a not-for-profit entity and o not a school (schools may be eligible as Community Anchor Institutions) • A Community Anchor Institution • A local educational agency 5 • An entity that carries out a workforce development program • A partnership between any of the entities listed above • A federally or State recognized Tribal Governments located in the state of New York (“Native Entity”).

Eligible applicants may choose to subcontract for project implementation and may appoint a non-profit corporation authorized by the governing body of the Native Entity to administer. If a Native Entity intends to utilize an authorized non-profit organization for this purpose, the Native Entity should identify the organization > 5As defined under 34 CFR § 303.

23, a local educational agency is a public board of education or other public authority legally constituted within a State for either administrative control or direction of, or to perform a service function for, public elementary schools or secondary schools in a city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of a State, or for a combination of school districts or counties as are recognized in a State as an administrative agency for its public elementary schools or secondary schools.

See https://www. ecfr. gov/current/title-34/subtitle-B/chapter-III/part-303/subpart-A/subject-group-ECFR8d7eb7e02db8abe/section-303.

23 . ConnectALL | broadband. ny.

gov | 5 in its application and discuss the role and activities of such organization (i.e., a letter of Applicants must also meet the following criteria: • Able to demonstrate that they have the financial and operational capacity to administer the proposed project, including a minimum of three years conducting comparable or related work in New York State and a demonstrated history and/or proficiency with government grants and projects of comparable financial scale and complexity to what the Applicant has proposed.

ConnectALL may, at its discretion and subject to its written approval, allow selected grantees to make subgrant awards to Eligible Entities with a focus on alignment with the Plan’s activities, Measurable Objectives, asset creation, and sustainability. Applicants must identify partner organizations and proposed subrecipients in the Application, where applicable.

Grant recipients may only use funding to pay for allowable costs under the Program. Allowable costs are determined in accordance with this Request for Applications. Costs must be reasonable, necessary, allocable, and allowable for the proposed activities, and conform to generally accepted accounting principles.

Regrant funds may be used to cover only eligible costs incurred by the subrecipient during the period of performance, and for allowable costs incurred by the subrecipient during the subgrant closeout process. Allowable costs include: o Salaries, wages, and fringe for personnel working directly on the proposed project. • Other Than Personnel Services: o For purposes necessary to meet the requirements of the grant.

o Device initiatives must be directly related to proposed project activities, including software; and must be explicitly tied to digital literacy and navigation programming, and serve to build the refurbishing, recycling , and donor landscape.

o For partners and third-party contractor costs directly related to proposed project activities, including personnel, program delivery, travel, equipment/devices, training/outreach, as well as multi-lingual, plain language, and accessibility support services. ConnectALL | broadband. ny.

gov | 6 • Staff Training, Participant Outreach: o For purposes necessary to meet the requirements of the grant. o For key project staff and consultants to execute the project and directly participate in knowledge sharing events to further innovations, best practices, and models for the field. Applicants must comply with the requirements of this RFA.

An Eligible Entity awarded must use the subgrant funds only for eligible uses as defined in this RFA. Unallowable costs are those costs that do not meet the criteria of reasonableness, allowability, and allocability and cannot be paid for by the grant. Unallowable costs include excessive or unreasonable costs and those expressly unallowable by the terms of the award.

Prohibition on Supplanting: Awards must supplement, not supplant, other federal or State funds that have been made available to carry out digital equity activities described in these Program Guidelines. Unallowable costs include: • Personnel costs for non-project staff. • Costs associated with deployment of broadband infrastructure to connect broadband serviceable locations.

• Construction in any form, including computer centers. • Website upgrades or other accessibility projects that are otherwise required by law, where applicable. • Profits, fees, or other incremental charges above the actual cost.

• Opposing or supporting collective bargaining. • Duplicative/redundant project costs, including pre-application expenses. • Repaying loans or as collateral for new loans.

• Indirect or overhead costs; and • Activities defined as ineligible uses under applicable State law. Matching Equity Contribution Applicants will generally be required to contribute a match of not less than 10%, payable in cash, towards the total project cost in the form of equity contributed after the conditionally selected Grantee’s written acceptance of ESD’s Incentive Proposal.

Equity is generally defined as cash injected into the project by the Recipient and should be auditable through a Grantee’s financial statements or accounts, if so requested by ESD. Equity cannot be borrowed money secured by the assets in the project. In the event an applicant attests that they cannot fulfill the ConnectALL | broadband.

ny. gov | 7 cash-match equity contribution requirement, the applicant must request a waiver as part of the application process to contribute a lower cash-match equity contribution of less than 10% and/or to make in-kind contributions in lieu of cash contributions. Applicant must provide a compelling reason for any such waiver request which ESD, in its sole discretion, will consider.

ConnectALL may, in its discretion, award additional points for applications that satisfy the general cash-match equity contribution requirement. ConnectALL will award points to an Applicant demonstrating support from local, county, or Tribal governments whose jurisdictions overlap with the proposed project; and/or public, private, and nonprofit entities.

Documentation includes official letters, board or council resolutions, and commitments of funding. Grantees will be required to expend awarded funds for this Program not later than 18 months after the date on which the Grantee and ESD execute a grant disbursement agreement.

ConnectALL will monitor Grantee progress against defined project milestones, enforceable as conditions of the grant, to ensure that the Grantee is on track to achieve the 18-month deadline.

Non-Discrimination and Contractor & Supplier Diversity Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Articles 15-A and Article 3 of New York State Veterans’ Services Law, ESD recognizes its obligation under the law to promote opportunities for maximum feasible participation of certified minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBEs) and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses (SDVOBs) in the performance of ESD projects.

The Recipient shall be required to use Good Faith Efforts (pursuant to 5 NYCRR §142. 8 and 9 NYCRR § 252. 2(m) to achieve MWBE and SDVOB Participation.

In addition, ESD’s MWBE and SDVOB Participation/Equal Employment Opportunity Policy will apply to this program. Specific goals related to the total value of ESD’s funding will be established on a grant-by grant basis.

ESD has an agency-wide goal of 30% for MWBE participation, 15% for New York State-certified Minority-owned Business Enterprise (“MBE”) participation and 15% for New York State-certified Women-owned Business Enterprise (“WBE”) participation (based on the current availability of MBEs and WBEs). ESD has an agency-wide goal of 6% for SDVOB participation, based on the current availability of qualified SDVOBs. # 6.

Applicant Selection & Grant-making Process Application Review ConnectALL | broadband. ny. gov | 8 ConnectALL will review applications for eligibility, completeness, quality, and readiness with respect to this RFA.

Applications shall be processed in full compliance with the applicable provisions of federal and State law, including 16-GG*2 of the New York State Urban Development Corporation Act. ConnectALL will score proposals based on stated requirements and evaluation criteria. Based on the availability of funds, ConnectALL will deem the highest scoring proposals to be conditionally eligible in each region and across geographic spread.

Following a determination of completeness, ConnectALL will review and score applications based on criteria below up to a total score of 100.

• Applicant Profile and Qualifications 10 Points • Proposed Project 30 points • Impact, Evaluation, and Sustainability 35 Points • Project Costs and Milestones 10 Points • Letters of Support 5 Points Consolidated Funding Application Portal Applications to the Program must be submitted through ConnectALL’s Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) Portal, which can be found at https://apps. cio. ny.

gov/apps/cfa/ . ConnectALL recommends that Applicants review the CFA early in their application process. A full list of CFA questions is available for download at https://apps.

cio. ny. gov/apps/cfa /help.

cfm? section=programquestions. An application checklist is also available on the ConnectALL website that summarizes templates and files that an Applicant will be required to submit for their Project Application.

The checklist provides instructions for how to navigate the CFA portal. All supplemental application materials including templates, appendices, and additional reference files are available on ConnectALL’s website: https://broadband. ny.

gov/digital-equity-program-capacity-grant . Applicants must use the ConnectALL templates. If application materials are submitted in alternative formats or modified versions of the ConnectALL templates, they will not be reviewed, and the Applicant will be asked to re-submit their information using the correct templates.

ConnectALL | broadband. ny. gov | 9 Applications must be received by ConnectALL through the CFA portal no later than August 25, 2025, by 11:59pm EST.

Applications must be submitted through New York State’s CFA portal at https://apps. cio. ny.

gov/apps/cfa/ . Applications will be accepted through the CFA beginning on July 23, 2025. Respondents are encouraged to submit applications as soon as they are able; applications will be reviewed in the order in which they are received.

The full package of application materials, including all application templates, can be found at https://broadband. ny. gov/digital-equity-program-capacity-grant .

ConnectALL reserves the right to modify the schedule to meet the goals of the Program. After reviewing applications, ConnectALL will negotiate Incentive Proposals with applicants who are deemed conditionally eligible for an award. The Incentive Proposal will articulate terms and conditions of the grant award, which will later be incorporated in a grant disbursement agreement executed between the parties.

Applicants may not undertake any work on their proposed project before an Incentive Proposal is executed with ESD, and no funding can be disbursed prior to execution of a grant disbursement agreement between the parties.

Application and Selection Timeline Request for Applications issued July 23, 2025 Consolidated Funding Application portal opens July 23, 2025 Application submission deadline August 25, 2025 Anticipated notice of conditional awards October - November 2025 ConnectALL will pre-record and post an Information Session on July 30, 2025.

Information shared during these information sessions is not intended to change nor supplement the RFA solicitation document. Any changes will be in writing in the form of a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) issued by ConnectALL and posted on the website: https://broadband. ny.

gov/digital-equity-program-capacity-grant . Slides will be made available following the session on the website. Technical Assistance Sessions ConnectALL may opt to host technical assistance sessions focused on specific aspects of the application, at its discretion.

If scheduled, session topics and dates/times will be posted on the Program website and announced via email. Applicants may submit questions to ConnectALL or request clarification during the application period. All questions or requests for clarification must be in writing and sent by email ConnectALL | broadband.

ny. gov | 10 to d igitalequity@esd. ny.

gov . Please include “Digital Equity Program Capacity Grant RFA” in the subject line. Responses will be published and posted on the ConnectALL website and made available for all Applicants to review.

All questions must be received no later than August 15, 2025. ConnectALL | broadband. ny.

gov | 11 Any changes to this RFA will be made in the form of a written addendum issued by ConnectALL and posted on the website: https://broadband. ny. gov/digital-equity-program-capacity-grant .

Addenda will also be posted on the Program website and announced via email. Although ConnectALL will notify prospective Applicants of addenda as described, Applicants are responsible for monitoring the Program website to ensure they are aware of any Program updates and revisions to application materials.

Grant Disbursement Agreements ConnectALL will execute a grant disbursement agreement with each grantee that will include terms and conditions of the award, including stipulations for compliance with Program requirements and penalties for failures to comply, a project timeline, and funding milestones for payment requests.

The disbursement of funds detailed in the grant disbursement agreement may differ based on the agreed-upon scope of work for each grantee (or subgrantee); and the grant amount and terms of each grant disbursement agreement may vary accordingly. Payments will be made as reimbursement for expenses at agreed-upon project milestones that meet specific project requirements.

All payment requests must be accompanied by invoices and proof of payment for expenses incurred. The final payment will be made upon ConnectALL’s verification of project completion.