Community Connect: Digital Access at Home, an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) and Capital One Bank, offers grants and resources to help support digital access and financial capability in rural communities nationwide.
Twenty rural public libraries will receive five Wi-Fi hotspots (including service contract) for lending to patrons; a $2,000 stipend to support implementing financial capability programs; curated book lists and more. Participating libraries were selected through a peer-reviewed, competitive application process.
Applications for this program are now closed. View open grants from the ALA Public Programs Office.
Please select from the following options:
- View a list of libraries selected for Community Connect
- Access the Community Connect Site Support Notebook (for grantees)
- Project guidelines
- Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
- Application preview (PDF)
Stories from Community Connect: Digital Access libraries
- "The Library Didn’t Forget You: Staying Connected with an Isolated Community" Ada (Okla.) Public Library
- "COVID Research to Homework Help: Town with Little Internet Looks to the Library" Yuma County (Ariz.) Public Library
- "Filling the Gap: Wi-Fi Hotspots for a Rural Community" Lee-Whedon Memorial Library, Medina, N.Y.
Evaluation
- Community Connect: Digital Access at Home One-pager
- Community Connect: Digital Access at Home Infographic
Public libraries are eligible if they serve a legal service area population of 25,000 or less and are in a rural community at least five miles from an urbanized area, per the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) definition.
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