Native Entities Grant Program

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), U.S. Department of Commerce, is soliciting applications for the Native Entities Grant Program to fund digital equity and broadband adoption activities among Indian Tribes, Alaska Native entities, and Native Hawaiian organizations, with applications due November 17, 2026.

Eligible applicants are Indian Tribes, Alaska Native entities, Native Hawaiian organizations, and partnerships (consortia) among these entities. Each applicant must provide at least 10 percent matching funds, though waivers of this matching requirement may be requested with documentation of financial need. Individual grant awards are expected to range between $500,000 and $2,500,000; applicants requesting amounts outside this range must provide compelling justification.

No less than $250,000,000 in federal funding is available. The program combines resources from the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program and the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program into a single application process. Award announcements are expected to begin in Spring 2027 on a rolling basis.

Grant recipients must expend funds within four years of award, with an additional one year permitted for measurement and evaluation activities. Allowable uses of funds include developing broadband adoption activities, facilitating educational and employment opportunities, implementing workforce development training programs, providing equipment and digital network technology at low or no cost, constructing or operating public access computing centers, and undertaking other projects consistent with program purposes. Administrative costs are capped at 10 percent of the grant amount, and program evaluation costs at 10 percent.

Applications undergo Initial Eligibility and Administrative Review, Merit Review (scored on a 0–100 point scale, with scores of 65 or higher qualifying for funding consideration), Programmatic Review, and final selection by the NTIA Assistant Secretary and NIST Grants Officer. The program prioritizes projects aligned with the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program and applications from Tribal Governments with BEAD resolutions approving service deployment on their lands. Applications require a Tribal Government Resolution authorizing the application, comprehensive project narrative, budget documentation, and standard federal forms.

Assistance Listing numbers are 11.036 (Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program) and related digital equity authorities under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.