CETF Get Connected! Grant Opportunities

Greetings from the California Emerging Technology Fund The California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) is pleased to announce the Get Connected! Grants.  We will accept applications beginning today at 9:30 AM through October 15, 2012 at 5 PM.  These grants will provide key funding for existing projects that integrate broadband into programs or services and help reach our goals of 80 percent home adoptions statewide and at least 70 percent adoption rates for targeted groups by 2015.   CETF will fund projects that accelerate broadband adoption within these Primary Strategic Focuses: Low-Income Neighborhood Transformation (Comprehensive Place-Based Strategies). Comprehensive Regional Engagement and Mobilization (County or Region with Lowest Adoptions Rates as Measured in Annual Statewide Survey. Target Population Outreach (English- Language Learners, People with Disabilities, Recently Returning Veterans, and Seniors). We have recently released our latest Annual Statewide Survey, produced in collaboration with the Public Policy Institute of California and ZeroDivide.  We are seeing the positive results of five years of focused leadership by non-profits and public officials. Looking ahead, we will focus Get Connected! Grants on programs that serve populations and regions of the state that lag behind the statewide average.  Regionally, the Survey found that Los Angeles County, the Central Valley and Inland Empire fall short of the statewide adoption average.  Grantees are expected to focus transformational strategies on unconnected communities facing deep and systemic challenges, including the poor, working poor, low-income families, recently returning veterans, English-language learners, and seniors. It is essential that we continue to invest our funds with partners who share our sense of urgency to close the Digital Divide so all Californians have access to the educational and employment opportunities needed to overcome the economic divide.  We cannot do this without partners, and we are eager to see your proposals.  Please visit Get Connected! Grants Overview to learn about our grant process and access the online application.  Thank you for your interest. Sincerely, Sunne Wright McPeak  President and CEO   Susan E. Walters Senior Vice President