Registration open now

The West Virginia Department of Economic Development’s Office of Broadband and the West Virginia Grant Resource Centers invite West Virginians to attend a free virtual grant writing workshop on November 19. 

This workshop, Organizational Capacity: Showcasing Your Strengths, and several others upcoming will assist individuals and groups applying for the Broadband Workforce Development Grant Program. This $20-$50 million grant program is designed to fund the development or expansion of education and training programs supporting the state’s broadband industry. 

The grant application portal will open in early 2025. The program is available to ISPs, education and training institutions, industry associations, public-private partnerships and more. 

“West Virginia is preparing to deploy broadband internet over the next five years to every unserved address in the state through a $1.2 Billion dollar Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) award. Broadband infrastructure is part of our everyday lives, affecting access to health, education, and jobs. Employment in the broadband sector will boom across West Virginia bringing steady, high paying career opportunities. To facilitate the expansion of training, education and career awareness we seek applicants for BEAD Workforce funding so our partners can help West Virginia rise to this challenge. We encourage any entity considering applying for a grant to take advantage of the fantastic resources of the WVGRC – available at no cost to the attendees,” said Luke Peters, BEAD Program Manager, WV Office of Broadband. “We are thrilled that Appalachian Regional Commission funding has allowed WVDED to partner with WVGRC to offer Broadband Workforce Technical Assistance via their comprehensive array of resources and trainings.”

Register today for the Organizational Capacity: Showcasing Your Strengths Workshop

When: November 19, 2024 | 12:00 PM- 1:00 PM

Where: This training is virtual as part of WVGRC’s Live Grant Assistance Sessions.

How to Register: To participate, please register here.

Who: Open to the public, but Eligible entities for BEAD Workforce Funding include:

• Broadband industry associations
• Career and Technical Education institutions
• County Boards of Education
• Employers
• Higher education institutions
• k-12 schools and school districts
• Public-private partnerships
• Workforce development organizations

In an effort to further support application efforts, the Office of Broadband has partnered with the WVGRC to offer the following services free of charge:

• Dedicated Grant Writing Support
• Providing Technical Reviews
• Providing Data and other relevant sources
• Advising on key wrap-around service partners
• Budget support
• Letters of support and collaboration

This is the second in a series of grant writing workshops in preparation for the Broadband Workforce Development Grant Program application period. Future grant writing training sessions will include the following topics:

• Office Hours: Broadband Workforce Development Grant Program
• Developing your Budget and Budget Narrative
• Building Collaborative Partnerships
• Writing a persuasive proposal
• Removing Barriers: Making it happen with Wraparound Services
• Strengthening your Proposal through Data

Register today and stay tuned for additional workshop information here.