2026-27 Digital Divide Grant Program Round 4
🏛 Public Utilities Commission (California)
✓ Free, no account · Source: California Grants Portal · Last verified Jul 10, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for California-based organizations working on landscape resilience and wildfire prevention projects. Eligible applicants include nonprofits, government agencies, tribal nations, and partnerships with demonstrated capacity to manage large regional projects. Projects must align with specified activities like fuels reduction, prescribed fire, reforestation, or workforce training.
Funding priorities emphasize multi-benefit projects identified through transparent regional processes. Applicants should show administrative and technical capacity for complex, multi-partner work. Projects leveraging multiple funding sources and benefiting disadvantaged communities score higher.
Geographic scope is limited to California. Organizations must demonstrate sufficient operational capacity and strong regional stakeholder engagement, including tribal participation.
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Program description
The Digital Divide Grant Program (DDGP) will provide three grants for a total of $200,000. The DDGP is funded by fees collected from leases of state-owned property to wireless telecommunications service providers, pursuant to Government Code Section 14666.8. Eligible projects will serve a beneficiary public school or district located in an urban or rural low-income small school district and two non-profit Community Organizations. Projects may address physical gaps in local broadband networks, affordability, access to personal devices and digital skills training. Projects must provide a holistic solution. Grant recipients must be a non-profit community-based organization (CBO) with a demonstrated record of work in addressing the digital divide. For public schools or districts, the CBO will partner with an eligible public school or district to deploy the project. The beneficiary of the project will be the partner school or district. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will evaluate and score applications and award grants for up to three projects using the competitive process described in CPUC Administrative Letter No.33. Eligible non-profit CBOs may submit applications for grant funding. Applicants must have demonstrated record of successful and satisfactory work deploying community technology projects and/or projects to bridge the digital divide. Applicants must have an agreement with a beneficiary school or district to execute a proposed project. In the first stage of review, panelists will evaluate the baseline requirements to determine if the CBO’s application can progress to the second stage of review. The baseline requirements include: The application must be complete and submitted timely. The applicant is a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The applicant must be in good standing with the California Franchise Tax Board. The applicant must submit at least three letters of recommendation. The applicant must have a written agreement with the beneficiary public school or district to execute a proposed project. The applicant must submit at least two letters of endorsement per the beneficiary public school or district supporting the project. One letter is required from the beneficiary public school or district office and one letter from the beneficiary’s school Parent Teachers Association. The beneficiary public school or district must be located within the boundaries of an urban or rural small school district as identified by the California Department of Education. The beneficiary public school or district must have a Free or Reduced Price Meal (FRPM) of at least 50 percent. In the second evaluation stage, panelists will review the remaining applications to assign scores on each of the following categories: Scope of Work, Experience, Budget and Overall. The application window is open from July 1, 2026, and will close on October 30, 2026. For more information on the DDGP, CBO eligibility criteria, the application process, schedules and forms, please go to: www.cpuc.ca.gov/ddgp.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Required documents
- Concept proposal (Phase 1)
- Regional prioritization documentation
- Stakeholder engagement plan
- Budget and cost-share information
- Organizational capacity/qualifications narrative
- Environmental compliance status documentation
Program contact
- 📧 DigitalDivideGrantProgram@cpuc.ca.gov
- 📞 1-415-703-1739
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
California-based nonprofits, government agencies, tribes, and public entities with capacity to manage large regional projects. Private organizations and community corps may be eligible partners.
What is the deadline and application process?
Concept proposals are due June 30, 2026 at 3 p.m. PDT. This is a two-phase process; finalists advance to full applications.
What activities does this grant fund?
Fuels reduction, prescribed fire, reforestation, pest management, workforce training, planning, and maintenance of previous resilience projects.
What makes an application competitive?
Multi-benefit projects identified through regional prioritization, demonstrated management capacity, leveraged funding, and benefits to disadvantaged communities.
What is the funding range?
Individual awards range from $5 million to $20 million. Total program pool is $30 million.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Start early on stakeholder engagement and regional coordination. Multi-partner projects and tribal involvement are strong priorities.
- Document your organization's capacity for managing large, complex projects with multiple partners and funding sources.
- Align your project with transparent regional prioritization processes already underway in your area.
- Show how your project leverages CAL FIRE funding with other state, federal, local, and private investments.
- Emphasize benefits to disadvantaged and severely disadvantaged communities in your project design.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applications underestimate the capacity requirements for $5-20M regional projects and lack clear multi-partner governance structures. Weak regional stakeholder engagement or missing tribal involvement reduces competitiveness. Failing to demonstrate leveraged funding from other sources is a significant weakness.
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