Bloomington Nonprofits Invited to Apply for 2025 Digital Opportunity Grants

The City of Bloomington invites nonprofit organizations to apply for funding through the Digital Opportunity Grants program to support their efforts to bridge the digital divide and increase digital resources for residents. Digital opportunity refers to the fair distribution of the internet and modern technology throughout society. 

Bloomington-based nonprofits may apply from Monday, June 16, to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 16 to receive up to $55,000 in grant funding. Proposals will be accepted online at bloomington.in.gov/digital-opportunity.

Now in its fifth year, Bloomington’s digital opportunity funding initiative began to help Bloomington recover from economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The award funds have become a regular part of the Information & Technology Services Department’s annual general fund budget.

Since 2020, the City’s Digital Opportunity Grant Program has awarded more than $240,000 to local nonprofits. 

An informational meeting about the Digital Opportunity Grant application process will be held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, June 18  via Zoom. It can be accessed at https://bton.in/zm25.

The Digital Opportunity Grants program is part of the City’s larger plan to improve digital opportunity in the community, address challenges, and pursue solutions identified in the City’s 2020 Digital Equity Strategic Plan, including in the following areas:

• Availability Gap: Address areas where broadband is unavailable, competition is minimal, or bandwidth is inadequate;
• Adoption Gap: Where available, overcome barriers to broadband adoption, including service affordability, usable devices, etc.;
• Utilization Gap: Cultivate the knowledge, familiarity and digital skills needed to secure the benefits of the internet and computers;
• Institutionalization: Support community and organizational capacity-building to ensure digital equity is a continuing focus of community development

The Digital Opportunity Grants program will accept proposals from nonprofits for projects that build capacity in the community to address digital opportunity challenges by:  

• Facilitating access to broadband service, especially affordable options;
• Increasing access to computing devices to effectively use the internet;
• Cultivating the knowledge, familiarity and digital skills needed to secure the benefits of the internet and computers;
• Improving skills needed to use the internet safely, securely and confidently to engage in digital life;
• Mitigating community digital equity gaps identified in the City's digital equity survey
• Aligning with initiatives recommended in the city’s Digital Equity Strategic Plan 

Thirteen Digital Equity Grants were awarded in 2024 supporting local organizations and projects.  Among the recipients were the Monroe County Public Library, which purchased iPads to help homebound individuals and households without internet access get connected; the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bloomington, which trained youth ages 6–18 in digital safety curricula; and Area 10 Agency on Aging, which provided technology assistance to seniors.

More information about the City’s efforts to increase digital opportunity, including answers to frequently asked questions about the Digital Opportunity Grant program, is available at bloomington.in.gov/digital-opportunity.