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Fifty Oklahoma institutions and organizations have been awarded Digital Inclusion Grants totaling $290,000 from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, courtesy of the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the CARES Act legislation passed by Congress.

This is the second of the CARES Act grants that ODL has awarded. The first grant addressed the health and safety needs of libraries and cultural institutions. You can see these PPE Grant recipients here. Together, the two grants provided $350,000 for COVID-19 response.

This second grant was designed to help public libraries, tribal libraries and cultural centers, adult literacy programs, and museums expand access to their digital services and enhance digital inclusion in their communities. The current pandemic has been a harsh reminder of the digital divide that exists in our state and nation, and ODL planned these CARES Act grants to help more Oklahomans access important services online.

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The Oklahoma Department of Libraries has awarded 64 grants to public libraries, tribal libraries, tribal cultural centers, and museums to help the institutions purchase personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies, customer safety supplies, and other materials and equipment to help keep their staff and visitors safe during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The funding is courtesy of the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the federal CARES Act legislation. ODL and other state libraries received funding to help libraries and cultural institutions respond to the public health crisis.

The federal directive is a means to help with safety measures in response to COVID-19 and to help institutions with digital inclusion efforts. The pandemic has thrown a spotlight on America’s digital divide. ODL is also offering a grant opportunity to help improve digital inclusion at libraries, cultural centers, and museums. The digital inclusion grantees will be announced in July.

PPE grant recipients and award amounts are listed below by Oklahoma’s U.S. Congressional Districts and then by city or town:

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