No. 04
They Canceled the Digital Equity Money. The Work Didn't Stop.
In 2025 the federal government canceled the Digital Equity Act grants. Part of the money is coming back. Here's the full timeline, what's still missing, and how Seattle groups can apply for the 2027 Technology Matching Fund right now.
The Tea the short version
- The $2.75 billion Digital Equity Act was canceled in May 2025.
- After a lawsuit, the $1.25 billion Competitive Grant is being reinstated, with a new funding notice targeted for December 2026.
- The state capacity grants, the money meant to carry out each state's plan, are still canceled.
- Seattle's 2027 Technology Matching Fund offers up to $45,000 per project. Applications are due January 15, 2027.
I want to tell you about the people who keep showing up.
The library staffer who stays after close to help someone upload a document for their unemployment claim. The church volunteer teaching a grandmother to video-call her grandkids. The community center that runs on donated laptops and stubbornness.
In May 2025, the federal government pulled the money meant to support that work. And those people kept showing up anyway.
Here's what happened, what's coming back, and what we do now.
The timeline
The American Library Association keeps a clear FAQ on the whole saga. Here's the short version:
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Congress passes the Digital Equity Act as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: $2.75 billion for digital equity programs |
| May 2025 | The President announces he's ending the programs. The Commerce Department tells states their Planning and Capacity grants are terminated |
| October 2025 | The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) sues to bring back the Competitive Grant Program |
| July 15, 2026 | A federal court rules that one part of the program (listing racial and ethnic minorities as a covered population) is unconstitutional, but can be cut out without killing the rest |
| July 2026 | The government agrees to reinstate the Competitive Grant Program |
| Target: December 2026 | NTIA aims to open applications under a new funding notice. Past applicants must reapply |
So here's where we stand:
- Coming back: the $1.25 billion Competitive Grant Program, open to nonprofits, local governments and others.
- Still gone: the $1.44 billion State Capacity Grant Program, the money that was supposed to fund each state's digital equity plan.
That second line matters. States spent years building plans with community input. The money to carry them out is still canceled.
What "digital equity" actually pays for
When people hear "digital equity," they sometimes think it means free laptops. That's part of it. But mostly it's people helping people.
Seattle's own grant program lists what it funds, and it's a great picture of the work (City of Seattle):
- Digital navigators: one-on-one or small-group help for people using technology
- Digital literacy training: classes that teach essential skills
- Devices and tech support: the device, plus help using it
- Internet connectivity: Wi-Fi and other ways to get low-income residents online
Notice that three of the four are about people, not just hardware. A laptop without a person to help you is a very expensive paperweight.
Seattle's money is on the table right now
If you run a nonprofit or community group in Seattle, put this on your calendar today.
The City's 2027 Technology Matching Fund is open (City of Seattle):
- Up to $45,000 per project
- $410,000 total, pending City Council approval
- You must match 25% of what you request. Volunteer time, staff hours, donated materials and cash all count
- Deadline: January 15, 2027, at 5 p.m., through seattle.fluxx.io
- Winners notified by the end of March 2027
- Info session: Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., at Douglass-Truth Library, 2300 E Yesler Way
My honest advice: go to the info session. Bring one specific idea, not five. And count your volunteer hours carefully. That 25% match is often already sitting in work you do for free.
What we're building anyway
I don't just write about this. It's the work I'm doing with my own hands.
In Seattle's Central District, we're building the Digital Bridge Lab at the historic McKinney Center with the Central District Community Preservation & Development Authority. It's designed around what residents told us they need: digital access, one-on-one navigation, practical literacy and responsible AI skills, and a place to talk honestly about how technology is changing the neighborhood.
In Evansville, Indiana, the neighborhood that raised me, we're developing the Center City Trades, Technology & Innovation Campus, with workforce training, technology and AI labs, and digital literacy and certifications.
Neither one is waiting on Washington, D.C. to decide what our neighbors deserve.
What you can do
- If you lead a program: apply for the Technology Matching Fund, and watch for the federal Competitive Grant notice in December.
- If you have skills: volunteer as a digital navigator. Libraries and community centers always need patient people.
- If you have devices: donate working laptops (wiped clean) to a local refurbishing program.
- If you have a voice: ask your state legislators what happened to Washington's digital equity plan now that the capacity money is gone.
- If you need help: walk into your local library and ask. That's what they're there for, and they're amazing at it.
Pour me another: Who's the person in your community who keeps showing up? Tell me about them through the contact form. I want to celebrate them.
Sip slow, stay curious.D
Receipts 2 sources cited in this post
- clear FAQ on the whole saga ala.org
- City of Seattle techtalk.seattle.gov
Your host
Dei’Marlon “D” Scisney
Founder & Principal Data Engineer, The Data Guys™
Data engineer, teacher and civic technologist. Vice-Chair of Seattle’s Community Technology Advisory Board. Raised by his grandmother in Evansville, Indiana; building community technology centers in Seattle’s Central District and back home in Evansville.
I am not a lawyer, and nothing here is legal advice. Facts were current when this was written, and every claim links to its source. Spot something that has changed? Tell me and I’ll update it.