Digital Access for All Idahoans Subgrants logo

The Idaho Commission for Libraries (ICfL) is pleased to announce the Digital Access for All Idahoans (DAAI) Grant, an initiative designed to bridge the digital divide that limits many Idaho residents from accessing essential technology resources.

The DAAI Grant offers funding awards ranging from $10,000 to $150,000 to support subgrantees in enhancing their digital access programs tailored for populations that are particularly vulnerable to digital exclusion. Eligible programs should focus on increasing broadband adoption, enhancing digital literacy, promoting cybersecurity awareness, and improving access to technical support and affordable devices. Subgrantees are required to engage individuals from the eight designated populations identified in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 – households with incomes below 150% of the poverty level, seniors, incarcerated individuals, veterans, individuals with disabilities, those facing language barriers, members of racial and ethnic minority groups, and residents of rural areas.

Eligible activities under this grant may encompass the employment of digital navigators to provide localized and regional support, the development and facilitation of digital skills and cybersecurity training, and the provision of technical support and low-cost devices. Subgrantees are strongly encouraged to establish or expand partnerships with community organizations to effectively reach and serve members of the identified populations. Collaborative efforts should focus on identifying specific digital access needs and utilizing grant funds to address those needs.

Program Goals:

  1. Enhance Digital Inclusion: Increase broadband adoption, digital skills, cybersecurity awareness, and access to technical support and devices among the covered populations.
  2. Strengthen Institutional Capacity: Build the capacity of subgrantees to better serve their communities through staff participation in an ICfL learning cohort focused on digital inclusion and equity.
  3. Foster Community Engagement: Support grantees and covered populations in achieving objectives related to civic and social engagement, economic and workforce development, education, health, and the delivery of essential services.

Digital Access Objectives:

  1. Equip Idahoans with the knowledge to compare internet service plans effectively.
  2. Increase the number of incarcerated individuals attaining digital skills certifications.
  3. Boost overall confidence in digital skills among participants.
  4. Mitigate apprehension associated with internet use.
  5. Enhance confidence in cybersecurity practices.
  6. Reduce the number of Idahoans experiencing device malfunction without resolution.
  7. Ensure digital navigators effectively serve 7,000 clients annually.
  8. Maintain a high level of customer satisfaction for digital navigation services.
  9. Increase ownership of digital devices among target populations.
  10. Provide access to new or refurbished devices to enhance digital inclusion.

Through the DAAI Grant, the ICfL is committed to fostering an equitable digital landscape for all Idahoans, ensuring that technological advancements are accessible to every member of our community.

All applicants must be located in and perform work in Idaho. Who can apply:

  1. The State, a political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality of the State, an Indian Tribe located in the State, an Alaska Native entity located in the State, or a Native Hawaiian organization located in the State.
  2. A community anchor institution, other than a school, that is located in the State (see key definitions below).
  3. A local educational agency that is located in the State (see key definitions below).
  4. An entity located in the State that carries out a workforce development program.
  5. A foundation, corporation, institution, association, or coalition that is a not-for-profit entity; providing services in the State; and not a school.
  6. A multi-branch library system must submit a single application.
  7. An agency of the State that is responsible for administering or supervising adult education and literacy activities in the State.
  8. A public or multi-family housing authority that is located in the State; or
  9. A partnership between any of the entities described above.

To apply for this grant, the organization must obtain a non-proprietary Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number from the federal System of Award Management (SAM). The UEI is a requirement for grantees receiving federal funds administered by the ICfL and replaces the requirement for a DUNS number. Obtaining a UEI is free but can take a week to several months if your entity is not already in the SAM system. Please see the SAM website for more information: https://sam.gov/content/home.

Grant recipients will receive awards ranging from $10,000 to $150,000 to be used within a 1.5-year grant period for the purpose of performing activities to increase or improve digital access for Idaho residents, in alignment with the needs outlined in the Digital Access for All Idahoans Plan. Grant projects should focus on benefiting covered populations, as defined in this application.

  • Digital Equity: The term “digital equity” means the condition in which individuals and communities have the information technology capacity that is needed for full participation in the society and economy of the United States.
  • Digital Inclusion: The term “digital inclusion” means the activities that are necessary to ensure that all individuals in the United States have access to, and the use of, affordable information and communication technologies, such as—
    • Reliable fixed and wireless broadband internet service;
    • Internet-enabled devices that meet the needs of the user; and
    • Applications and online content designed to enable and encourage self-sufficiency, participation, and collaboration.
    • This includes:
      • Obtaining access to digital literacy training:
      • The provision of quality technical support; and
      • Obtaining basic awareness of measures to ensure online privacy and cybersecurity.
  • Digital Literacy: The term “digital literacy” means the skills associated with using technology to enable users to find, evaluate, organize, create, and communicate information.
  • Covered Populations: The term “Covered Populations” means:
    • Individuals who live in covered households;
    • Aging individuals;
    • Incarcerated individuals (as defined by the State or Territory), other than individuals who are incarcerated in a federal correctional facility;
    • Veterans;
    • Individuals with disabilities;
    • Individuals who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group;
    • Individuals who primarily reside in a rural area; and
    • Individuals with a language barrier, including individuals who are English learners and/or have low levels of literacy.
  • Aging Individual: The term “aging individual” means an individual who is 60 years of age or older.
  • Community Anchor Institution: The term “community anchor institution” means 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.
  • Covered Household: The term “covered household” means a household in which the income 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.
  • Individuals with disabilities: The term “disability” means, with respect to an individual, (a) a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such individual; (b) a record of such impairment; or (c) being regarded as having such an impairment.
  • A local educational agency: Generally, a local educational agency means 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.
  • Individuals who primarily reside in a rural area: The term “rural area” means any area other than (a) a city or town that has a population of greater than 50,000 inhabitants; (b) any urbanized area contiguous and adjacent to a city or town that has a population of greater than 50,000 inhabitants; and (c) in the case of a grant, a city, town, or incorporated area that has a population of greater than 20,000 inhabitants.
  • Veterans: The term “veteran” means a person who served in the active military, naval, air, or space service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable.

Subrecipients must complete the following activities during the grant period:

  1. Assist with the implementation of the Digital Access for All Idahoans Plan by using funds to perform activities to increase or improve digital access for Idaho residents. Suggested activities include, but are not limited to, the following:
    1. Increase participation and awareness of covered populations in broadband affordability programs.
    2. Increase digital skill levels, particularly among Idaho’s covered populations.
    3. Increase the number of youth engaged in digital skills education.
    4. Increase Idahoans’ cybersecurity training.
    5. Establish a digital navigator program to address the digital access needs of covered populations.
    6. Establish technical support options.
    7. Increase the affordability of devices through investment in refurbished devices.
  2. Serve covered populations, as defined in this application.
  3. At least one staff member will participate in a learning cohort with the ICfL and other participating subgrantees throughout the project period. The staff member must attend at least three out of six online learning sessions.
  4. Recipients are encouraged, but not required, to develop or strengthen an existing partnership with at least one community partner such as a volunteer organization, service organization, senior center, club, cultural organization, local department of labor or health, or veteran’s organization. The selected partner must be working with covered populations.

A recipient may only use program funds for allowable costs, as defined in the federal grant funds Uniform Guidance (2 C.F.R. Part 200), which includes the requirement that costs be reasonable, necessary, and allocable for the accomplishment of program objectives, and conform to generally accepted accounting principles. The following is an abbreviated list of allowable grant expenses. It is not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive. Applicants should contact the ICfL if they are unsure if their proposed idea/expenditure is allowable.

  1. Materials and Supplies. Supplies are generally defined as items with an acquisition cost of $10,000 or less and a useful life expectancy of less than one year. Supplies are usually consumed during the project performance. Please refer to the applicable Federal regulations in 2 CFR 200.1 and 2 CFR 200.314 for specific supply definitions and treatment.
  2. Personnel Compensation. Compensation for personnel services including wages and salaries paid for services of employees rendered during the period of performance under the award. Costs of compensation are allowable to the extent that they satisfy the specific requirements of this award. The total compensation for individual employees must be reasonable for the services rendered and comparable to rates paid for similar work in the local labor market. Grant funds may only be used for hours worked to carry out the grant project. Organizations using grant funds for personnel hours will be asked to provide payroll expense reports along with documentation tracking hours and associated tasks as part of the reporting process.
  3. Fringe Benefits. Fringe benefits are provided to employees as compensation in addition to regular salaries and wages. Fringe benefits include, but are not limited to, the costs of leave (vacation, family-related, sick, or military), employee insurance, pensions, and unemployment benefit plans. Fringe benefits are allowable if they are reasonable and are required by the employment agreement, or an established policy of the organization. The costs must be equitably allocated to the award based on time spent on the project. The costs of employer contributions for social security, employee life, health, unemployment, and worker’s compensation insurance; pension plan costs; and other similar benefits are allowable as long as they are allocated according to time spent on the project.
  4. Equipment. Equipment means a single item of tangible, personal property (including information technology systems) having a useful life of more than one year and a per-unit acquisition cost that equals or exceeds the lesser of the capitalization level established by the non-Federal entity for financial statement purposes, or $10,000. Please refer to the applicable Federal regulations in 2 CFR 200.1 and 2 CFR 200.313 for specific equipment definitions and treatment.
  5. Travel. Only travel directly associated with this award should be included as a direct travel cost to the award. Federal travel regulations are contained within the applicable cost principles for all entity types. Travel costs should remain consistent with travel costs incurred by an organization during normal business operations as a result of the organization’s written travel policy. In the absence of a written travel policy, organizations must follow the regulations prescribed by the General Services Administration (GSA).
  6. Professional and technical consultant services. Costs of professional and consultant services rendered by persons who are members of a particular profession or possess a special skill, and who are not employees on the organization’s payroll.
  7. Other Services. Services procured from other entities such as website subscription fees.
  8. Indirect Costs. For indirect costs, you can either use a preexisting Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) or the current de minimis rate of 15%.

The following is an abbreviated list of non-allowable grant expenses. It is not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive. Applicants should contact the ICfL if they are unsure if a cost is allowable. The following items are not allowable grant expenses:

  1. Food and beverages.
  2. Capital expenses related to the purchase of real property, buildings, or motor vehicles.
  3. Construction expenses related to the improvement or expansion of building or facilities.
  4. Advertising or publicity not related directly to the grant project and its implementation.
  5. Promotional items and memorabilia, including models, gifts, and souvenirs.
  6. Costs of entertainment, including amusement, diversion, and social activities and any associated costs, except where specific costs that might otherwise be considered entertainment have a programmatic purpose – and are pre-approved in the grant application/agreement budget.
  7. Broadband installation or broadband upgrades.
  1. Grant funds should supplement, not supplant or replace, other funding sources.
  2. Deployment of broadband infrastructure to connect broadband serviceable locations should be accomplished through other programs, including the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD), unless that installation of broadband infrastructure is necessary to accomplish an eligible program, activity, or intervention.
  3. Subgrantees are prohibited from using program funds to conduct website upgrades or other accessibility projects otherwise required by law.
  4. A profit, fee, or other incremental charge above the actual cost is not allowable.
  5. Subgrant funds awarded under this program may not be used directly or indirectly as an offset for other funds to support or oppose collective bargaining.

Recipients agree to:

  1. Submit interim reports at six month intervals. Reports will be due July 31 and January 31 of each year the award is active. Reports will include a progress report and financial report along with any specific information required by our funding partner, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Reports should reflect activity during the previous 6 month period.
  2. Submit the final report within 30 days following the end of the grant period.
  3. Document grant expenditures through receipts, payroll reports, accounting system reports, and/or paid invoices. Spending documentation must be submitted with the final report. Any grant funds not accounted for through documented spending must be returned to the ICfL at the end of the award period. The ICfL reserves the right to audit or review grant expenditure records at any time during the grant period.
  4. Collect program data required by the ICfL or our funding partner, the NTIA. Submit information with quarterly and final reports. In addition to narrative and financial questions, applicants will be required to provide the following information in the reports:
    1. Number of covered population(s) served;
    2. Number of people served within each covered population;
    3. Total number of people served;
    4. Number of programs implemented by type;
    5. Anecdotal/personal testimony demonstrating the positive impact of the program;
    6. Quantifiable evidence of progress toward the measurable objectives identified in the Digital Access for All Idahoans Plan;
    7. Impact on the State goals regarding:
      1. Economic and workforce development outcomes;
      2. Educational outcomes;
      3. Health outcomes;
      4. Civic and social engagement; and
      5. Delivery of essential services.

Grant recipients must retain grant records for a period of five years following the end of the award period. Records include the grant application/agreement, award letter, correspondence, reports, financial records, and receipts. Recipients agree to provide access to grant records at any time during the grant period for an audit, inspection, or other investigation by the ICfL, its representative, the NTIA, or Government Accountability Office – for the purpose of audit, inspection, or any other investigation. This includes providing timely access to personnel for the purpose of interview and discussion related to grant documents.

The grant period will commence on the award date and conclude 18 months thereafter. The subgrant process will be competitive and necessitate a comprehensive application. Funding will be disbursed upfront, and the total number of grants awarded will be determined by the requested dollar amounts from selected grantees.

  • How long is the grant period?
    • The grant period will be 1.5 years from the award date. Two interim reports and one final report will be due during the award period.
  • Will the grant awards be dispersed in one sum, or will reimbursement for expenses incurred during the grant period be required?
    • Update: 1/14/2025. Awards will be distributed in increments, likely quarterly or bi-monthly drawdowns. You will need to include receipts for your expenses in your grant reports. You will need to keep all documentation for five years.
  • Is there a matching requirement for this grant?
    • No, there is no matching requirement.
  • Can funds be spent beyond the 1.5-year award period?
    • No, funds must all be spent during the 1.5-year period.
  • Can applicants request indirect funds if they don’t have a negotiated indirect cost rate agreement? Can applicants take the de minimis rate?
    • Yes, for indirect costs, you can either use a preexisting Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) or the current de minimis rate of 15%.
  • Are devices and warranties an allowable purchase?
    • Yes, devices are an allowable purchase. Devices like Chromebooks and their warranties would fall under the supply category.
  • Do grantees need letters of support from partners?
    • No, grantees do not need letters of support. They must provide basic information about any partners they include in their application. Though partnerships are optional for this program, including partners will increase the applicant’s score.
  • Can applicants list multiple partners?
    • Yes, multiple partnerships are allowed. One lead organization will need to apply for the grant. Partnerships that involve an exchange of funds must be listed in the budget under professional and technical services.
  • How do you estimate covered populations served on the application?
    • If you currently provide services to the public, rely on prior data for how many individuals you serve. If you are starting a new program, we recommend starting at the low end for the number of folks you’ll serve. To get an idea of the covered populations in your area, check out the Digital Access for All Idahoans Plan and Covered Populations data from the U.S. Census. If you download a copy of the Census data, it will show you a breakdown by county.
  • If my organization applies to multiple programs, is it possible we will receive an award for one program and not the other?
    • Yes, it is possible. However, the ICfL will work with applicants to reduce the likelihood of that scenario. If applicants are applying for multiple programs that build off one another – for example, using monetary grant funds to distribute Connecting Communities devices – the ICfL will review applicants holistically. The ICfL team may request application adjustments so applicants can receive both grants.
  • Will this grant be offered again?
    • Yes, the ICfL plans to offer this grant again over the coming years. If you have any comments or suggestions, please reach out to digitalskills@libraries.idaho.gov so we can continue to improve.

This grant is administered by the Idaho Commission for Libraries and was made possible in part by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Recipients agree to acknowledge these funding sources in signage, brochures, websites, press releases, public events, etc., funded by this grant. The assigned federal Assistance Listing Number for this award is 11.032. The Federal Award Identification Number (FAIN) for the award to the State of Idaho is 16-31-DS038.

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Chelsea Summerlin

Chelsea Summerlin

Digital Inclusion Consultant
Email / 208-639-4175
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Jamie Thill

Grants Officer
Email / 208-639-4153
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This program is brought to you by the Idaho Commission for Libraries and is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. To report waste, fraud, and abuse, you can call the Division of Human Resources toll-free number (800) 554-5627.