In May 2025, we wrote about the sudden threat facing the Digital Equity Act. At the time, President Trump had called the program “racist” and “unconstitutional,” and the administration moved to terminate grant programs that Congress had created to help millions of Americans gain access to the internet, devices, digital skills, and the support needed to participate fully in modern life.
For the digital inclusion field, the impact was immediate and devastating. Organizations had spent years building partnerships, assessing community needs, developing programs, and preparing applications, but communities that had been promised resources were suddenly left wondering what would happen next.
More than a year later, there is finally reason for cautious optimism.
The Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program Is Moving Toward Reinstatement
In July 2026, a federal court ruled that the administration could not simply eliminate the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program. The court found that the provision identifying racial and ethnic minorities as a covered population was unconstitutional, but concluded that the provision could be severed from the rest of the program.
The result is significant: the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program can move forward.
The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) had challenged the administration’s decision to terminate the program, arguing that the Executive Branch could not eliminate a program created and funded by Congress. The court allowed that challenge to proceed, and the government has committed to reinstating the Competitive Grant Program following the court’s determination on the racial classification provision.
The $1.25 billion Competitive Grant Program was designed to support organizations working directly with communities to increase broadband adoption, build digital skills, provide access to technology, and address the many barriers that keep people from fully participating in an increasingly digital world.
There is another important sign that the program is moving forward.
NTIA Has Taken a First Step Toward Reopening the Program
On August 25, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) published a notice seeking public comment on the application information it plans to collect for the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program.
This is not yet a new Notice of Funding Opportunity, but it is an important development. It signals that NTIA is actively preparing for the program’s return and working through the process necessary to reopen the competition. The notice identifies the types of organizations that may be eligible to apply, including nonprofits, community anchor institutions, local governments, workforce development organizations, educational entities, tribal organizations, and partnerships among eligible entities.
For organizations that have been waiting to see whether the program would actually return, this is a meaningful step forward.
But Reinstatement Is Not the Same as Restoration
There is an important distinction to make: the return of the Competitive Grant Program does not mean that everything lost in 2025 has been restored.
The original Digital Equity Act created three major grant programs: State Planning Grants, State Capacity Grants, and the Competitive Grant Program. Current legal developments concern only the Competitive Grant Program. The future of the broader Digital Equity Act funding landscape remains uncertain.
There is also the reality that communities have already lost valuable time.
Digital inclusion work does not happen overnight. Building trust with communities, training digital navigators, developing effective programs, and creating sustainable partnerships takes time. When funding disappears suddenly, organizations lose more than money — they lose momentum, staff capacity, partnerships, and in some cases the ability to continue serving the people who need support the most.
Reopening the Competitive Grant Program is an important step. But rebuilding the capacity lost during the past year will require intentional investment.
This Is a Moment to Prepare
Organizations interested in pursuing funding through the revived Competitive Grant Program should not wait for the new Notice of Funding Opportunity to begin preparing. This is an opportunity to take stock of your community’s needs and ask some important questions:
- What barriers are preventing people in your community from fully participating in the digital world?
- Who is already providing digital inclusion services, and where are the gaps?
- What partnerships will be needed to create a comprehensive and sustainable program?
- Do you have trained staff or digital navigators who can provide ongoing support?
- Are your programs designed around the needs and goals of the people you hope to serve?
- How will you measure impact?
- What will it take to sustain your work after the grant funding ends?
The strongest digital inclusion programs are not built around funding opportunities alone. They are built around communities.
Funding can provide the resources needed to launch or expand programs, but lasting digital inclusion requires trusted partnerships, trained staff, relevant curriculum, community engagement, and a long-term commitment to the people being served.
We Have Another Chance to Get This Right
The reinstatement of the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program is good news for the digital inclusion field. It represents an important recognition that programs created and funded by Congress cannot simply disappear because of a change in political priorities.
But this moment is about more than restoring a funding opportunity. It is an opportunity for our field to rebuild, strengthen partnerships, and prepare for the next chapter of digital inclusion in America.
At digitalLIFT, we believe that access to technology is only the beginning. People also need the skills, confidence, support, and trusted relationships that allow them to use technology in ways that improve their lives.
The Competitive Grant Program has the potential to help communities build that capacity. But turning funding into meaningful impact will require organizations, local governments, community institutions, and digital inclusion practitioners to work together.
The funding may be coming back. Now it is time to make sure our communities are ready.
Prepare with digitalLIFT
digitalLIFT works with communities and organizations to build sustainable digital inclusion programs. From assessing community needs and developing digital inclusion strategies to training digital navigators and trainers and providing ready-to-use curriculums, we help organizations build the capacity needed to move from access to meaningful adoption.
If your organization is preparing for the return of the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program, we would love to explore how we can work together. Fill out our partner form today!
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