San José Digital Inclusion

San José is the first city in the country to pledge to close the Digital Divide by establishing the Digital Inclusion Fund, a $18 million cross-sector fund that will be distributed in grant awards over a ten-year period. It is the city’s largest philanthropic effort in recent history.

Digital Inclusion aims to:

Connect 50,000 San José households with universal device access and universal connectivity at speeds of at least 25 Mbps download/3 Mbps upload over the next 10 years.
Ensure 50,000 San José households achieve and sustain the appropriate digital skills proficiency level to stay ahead of technology and increase quality of life outcomes in education, workforce, healthcare and more.

The City of San José established the Digital Inclusion Fund to support the administration of San José Digital Inclusion Grants (“Grants”) capitalized by fees from Internet Service Providers’ (ISPs) deployment of 5G fiber and small cell installations. In June 2018, the San José City Council unanimously approved the largest fiber and small cell deployment in the nation projected to generate $500 million in private-sector investment and up to $14.5 million for the Digital Inclusion Fund over 10 years. It is projected that up to $3 million in the Digital Inclusion Fund will be allocated to increase the number of households connected to the internet at home with meaningful use of technology and skills to navigate the internet.

These funds will be granted to Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and public agencies to reach unconnected low-income, disadvantaged residents in-language and in-culture. On April 11, 2023, the City Council approved the San José Public Library Foundation’s role in providing administration and management of the Digital Inclusion Grant Program.

Digital Inclusion will disburse approximately $500K – 1M each year to organizations in San José who are closing the Digital Divide through expanding internet connectivity, and device access.

What is the Digital Divide?

Broadband internet is no longer a luxury, but an essential onramp to education, jobs, and access to essential services. Over 20 million Americans lack broadband today. Yet, nearly all homework requires online access and students with internet access at home are 6-8% more likely to graduate from high school.

Despite being the largest city in Silicon Valley, San José has a persistent digital divide that excludes many residents from the opportunities offered by technologies developed in our backyard. In fact, 95,000 San José residents lack access to broadband, including 36% of Latinx families and 47% of African American families, according to a study conducted by the City of San José along with the Stanford School of Education and Community Connect Labs.

Closing the digital divide in San José is imperative to building an inclusive city where technology benefits all of our residents.

Round 4 Grant Application Process

Round 4 of the Digital Inclusion Grant is intended to build upon lessons learned from the previous three Rounds and recovery from the impacts of COVID-19 as it relates to Digital Inclusion. Round 4 was limited to previous grant recipients that have successfully completed previous grant cycles. Applicants demonstrated a clear strategy for incorporating the achievement of Adoptions into their existing service(s) that are known to and valued by unconnected or disconnected San José residents.

Grants Program

Since 2020, over 40 grantees have adhered to the following three key components of Digital Inclusion:

Acess Programs – Providing internet connectivity to San José residents
Digital Skills – Enhancing digital skills to access jobs, educational opportunities and critical services
Device Programs – Ensuring every San José resident has a working device

The following grantees have staff that are trained and available to assist households with getting online at home and ensuring they are digitially proficient.