AT&T $100 Million Grant – Apply Now

June 20, 2014

[As part of President Obama's ConnectED Initiative, several large technology companies pledged to provide millions of dollars in support, training, equipment and connectivity to schools. Many of these companies have begun to announce the application processes to apply for these grants. The portal for all of the grant initiatives is at http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/k-12/connected#resources. The deadline to apply for many of the grants is short, so please don't put off applying.]

AT&T, as part of their $100 million ConnectED Initiative pledge, will provide free off-campus mobile connectivity and related services to middle and high school students. Their application is now available online and the first phase applications are due by July 15, 2014. They have partnered with Connected Nation to administer their application process and select schools to participate. To apply, go to http://www.connectednation.org/attaspire.

Applicant Qualifications and Restrictions:
• Applications may be submitted for Middle Schools and High Schools only
• The target contribution size will be between 2,000 and 4,000 students per school district. Applications should not be submitted for significantly larger or smaller contributions
• Contributions can be split among multiple schools within a single district as long as
1) the maximum number of connections is not exceeded
2) all students within each applicant school are eligible to receive service (i.e., partial school deployments will not be considered)
• An applicant school must either be eligible to receive Title I funding or one in which more than 50% of enrolled students are eligible to participate in the National School Lunch Program
• All applicant schools must have at least 1 dedicated IT support professional on staff
• All applicant schools must be physically located within AT&T’s 4G or 4G LTE coverage areas. To view a map of AT&T’s network footprint and search using the school’s ZIP code, go to: http://www.att.com/maps/wireless-coverage.html?maptype=data&search-to=20009#fbid=zeoMqQwDtKU.
• Applicant schools must be willing to verify that all teachers have completed any training that may be required

Specifically, AT&T’s contribution will include:

• 4G mobile broadband data services for student access to learning-based websites, applications, and services;
• Mobile device management to support tracking and usage of devices;
• Security software to protect access, safety, and security of students;
• Solution integration for schools to support device configuration, logistics and care services; and
• Training for teachers and administrators on effective ways to integrate this solution into classrooms and learning.

School applications will be evaluated in three phases, with Phase 1 applications due on July 15, 2014. Phase 2 evaluations will commence in in late fall 2014, while Phase 3 will take place in late spring 2015.

If your school meets the above criteria, I strongly encourage you to apply by July 15.

– Julie

Julie Tritt Schell
PA E-rate Coordinator

717-730-7133 – o
717-730-9060 – f
jtschell@comcast.net
www.e-ratepa.org
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