Developing a Grant Strategy in an Evolving Funding Landscape

In light of many moving pieces and the potential broadband funding streams, we recommend communities take the following steps to develop a funding strategy and position themselves competitively for federal dollars:

• Explore potential partnerships. If you already know the areas of your community that are served and unserved by broadband, reach out to potential partners directly or write a request for proposals (RFP) or a request for information (RFI) to get a better understanding of potential partnerships. It can be a good strategy to target larger geographic areas at the outset and refine the service area later to reflect factors such as partner priorities, community need, and funding eligibility.
• Develop a community mapping initiative. If a broadband mapping effort is not already underway in your community, it would be a valuable project to pursue. In some cases, especially if there is a potential partnership on the table, incumbent broadband providers will share their actual network maps. The local school district may also have data about which neighborhoods have broadband gaps.
• Watch for updates from the Federal Communications Commission. It is prudent to keep a close eye on FCC announcements of Rural Digital Opportunity Fund bidder certifications or denials, to understand whether any areas will open up for second-round bidding (or other funding) in your community.
• Build support for a broadband project. Finally, make sure your executive stakeholders are in the loop and supportive of project priorities. At minimum, you may need their approval, and you may need a pool of matching funds available, too, depending on the funding program. It is never too early to start having internal conversations about how to gather community resources behind a potential broadband initiative.