Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program | NTIA CMCPP 2021

Opportunity Information: Apply for NTIA CMCPP 2021

The Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program is a federal grant opportunity run by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to help expand broadband access, improve connectivity, and support digital inclusion in underserved areas. It was authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260, Division N, Title IX, Section 902). The basic goal is to direct new funding into communities where better internet access and the tools to use it can strengthen education, workforce readiness, and community services, especially in places served by institutions that primarily educate or support minority populations.

Funding is aimed at practical, on-the-ground needs that improve internet availability and meaningful use. The program allows grant funds to be used for purchasing broadband internet access service, obtaining eligible equipment needed for connectivity, and hiring or training information technology personnel. A key emphasis is supporting educational instruction and learning, including remote learning, which became especially critical during the pandemic era. The program also recognizes that connectivity support can extend beyond schools alone by allowing certain activities that help a minority business enterprise (MBE) or a qualifying nonprofit organization operate effectively, as long as the applicant structure meets the eligibility rules.

Eligibility is intentionally narrow and centered on specific types of institutions and partnerships. Eligible recipients include historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges or Universities (TCUs), and Minority-serving institutions (MSIs). The program also allows applications from consortia, but the consortium must be led by one of the eligible educational institutions (an HBCU, TCU, or MSI). In addition, the consortium must include either a minority business enterprise (MBE) or a tax-exempt nonprofit organization that qualifies under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is exempt from tax under section 501(a). In other words, businesses and nonprofits generally cannot apply alone; they participate through a consortium led by an eligible college or university.

A further requirement is that the eligible recipient must be located in an "anchor community." While the NOFO contains the full definition, the summary standard highlighted here is income-based: the anchor community is defined in part as having an estimated median annual household income that is no more than 250 percent of the poverty line. This anchor community condition is meant to ensure the funding targets communities where affordability and access barriers are more likely to be significant, rather than areas that already have strong market access to broadband and technology resources.

From the published opportunity details, this was a discretionary grant program (not a formula entitlement). The opportunity number is NTIA CMCPP 2021, and it is associated with CFDA number 11.028. The funding activity category is listed as Science and Technology and other Research and Development, reflecting that the program is administered within a federal portfolio that often covers technology infrastructure and innovation, even though the primary uses described are connectivity, equipment, and IT staffing/training. The notice was created on August 3, 2021, and the original closing date listed was December 1, 2021. The public summary provided does not include an award ceiling amount or the expected number of awards, suggesting those details either were not populated in the excerpted record or were provided in the full NOFO document.

Overall, the program is designed to strengthen broadband-enabled education and community capacity by investing in internet service, devices and network-related equipment, and the people (IT staff) who keep these systems working. It prioritizes minority-serving educational institutions and structured partnerships with minority-owned businesses or nonprofit organizations, with an explicit focus on lower-income anchor communities where improved connectivity can have an outsized impact.

• The National Telecommunications and Information Admini in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.028.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-08-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-12-01. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for NTIA CMCPP 2021

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