Grants

As part of the West Virginia Broadband Mapping Program, WVGES administered grants to support broadband use and adoption throughout the state. The Technical Assistance Grants were competitive grants, while the Regional Planning Council Grants were dedicated to Regional Planning Councils across the state.

Click on the titles below to expand and view information.

Technical Assistance Grants

Overview/About

The goal of the Technical Assistance Grant Program was to fund projects that focused on training, education and online application development to increase the use and adoption of broadband throughout the state. Awards were made to support projects and services in state, county and local governments, health care, higher education, emergency services, public safety, energy and the environment, libraries, agriculture and economic development. Awards were granted in each of the state’s eleven Regional Planning and Development districts.

A total of $677,625 in grant funds, in amounts between $5,000 to $30,000, was awarded in 2012 in a first round of competitive awards. A second round of competitive awards totaling $842,213 was awarded early in 2014. All awarded projects can be found below.

Summary of the Technical Assistance Grants Program

View or download the Summary Report pdf icon (616 KB PDF).

Round Two of Funds Awarded (2014)

In 2014, the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey’s Broadband Mapping Program awarded $842,213 in grant funds as part of the federally-funded Technical Assistance Grant Program. Thirty-nine recipients were chosen based on their goals to create or improve the usage of broadband internet through train-the-trainer, education, or other applications.

Grants were awarded across all of the state’s eleven planning and development regions as well as in multiple sectors, including but not limited to, agriculture, economic development, education, government services, health care, libraries, energy and environment, emergency services, and public safety. Information on the 2014 awards can be viewed below.

  • (Braxton County) Internet Tax Inquiry and Online Tax Payments
       Braxton County Commission
       $20,350
  • Broadband Technical Assistance Grant for e-Commerce Training
       Southern WV Community and Technical College
       $25,125
  • (Cabell County) Online Filing for Personal Property Forms
       Cabell County Assessor
       $18,577.08
  • Common Core Implementation Workshops and Webinars
       Grant County Schools
       $30,000
  • Create Health WV
       The EdVenture Group
       $23,250
  • Doddridge County Web Services Project
       Doddridge County Assessor
       $ 6,500
  • (Fayette County) GIS Tax Map Development and Web Publication
       Fayette County Commission
       $26,694.35
  • (Fayette County) Online Filing and Document Indexing for Personal Property Assessment Forms
       Fayette County Commission
       $6,500
  • (Gilmer County) Online Public Access Project
       Gilmer County Commission
       $25,499.14
  • GPD (Granville Police Department) CRIPos-RMS Online Forms
       Town of Granville
       $30,000
  • Hardy County Geospatial Website
       Hardy County Assessor
       $27,000
  • Harrison County Consolidated Damage Assessment System for Emergencies
       Harrison County Commission
       $ 6,000
  • Harrison County Online Tax Payment System
       Harrison County Commission
       $11,218
  • Heads Up Huntington Smartphone Application
       City of Huntington
       $30,000
  • Heads-Up Beckley Phone Application
       City of Beckley
       $30,000
  • Heads Up Hancock County
       Hancock County Commission
       $30,000
  • Improve Your Online Knowledge Course Training Program
       WVNET
       $28,765
  • Library Technology Training Project for Four Northcentral Counties
       Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library
       $23,100
  • Lincoln County GIS Website
       Lincoln County Assessor
       $13,740
  • Lost Water Prevention for Public Service Districts Using Broadband Technology
       Central Barbour Public Service District
       $30,000
  • Marshall County GIS Website
       Marshall County Assessor
       $25,600
  • (McDowell County) Online Property Tax Inquiry System
       McDowell County Commission
       $12,500
  • MonCHSEMA CriPos Resource Management
       Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office/MECCA 911
       $28,000
  • Morgan County Online Project
       Morgan County Assessor
       $ 6,500
  • Network Broadband Technology for Telemedicine Pilot Program
       Grafton City Hospital
       $30,000
  • Pesticide Online Registration and Renewal
       West Virginia Department of Agriculture
       $26,790
  • Putnam County Planning Commission Permit and Zoning Request System
       Putnam County Commission
       $15,500
  • Putnam County Sheriff Wireless Database Access and Tax Payment/Receipt System
       Putnam County Sheriff
       $30,000
  • Raleigh County Broadband Web Inquiry and Tax Payment System
       Raleigh County Commission
       $26,822.40
  • Randolph County Web Services
       Randolph County Assessor
       $ 7,155
  • (Roane County) Sheriff’s Tax Office Internet Tax Collection
       Roane County Commission
       $17,694
  • Sex Offender Mapping Project
       West Virginia State Police
       $30,000
  • Statewide Parcel Web Map Service
       WV GIS Tech Center
       $16,000
  • Wastewater Monitoring Using Broadband Technology
       Town of Tunnelton
       $30,000
  • West Virginia Online Justice Project
       Legal Aid of West Virginia
       $28,300
  • Wetzel County GIS Website
       Wetzel County Assessor
       $13,200
  • Wyoming County Online Project
       Wyoming County Assessor’s Office
       $ 7,655
  • (Wyoming County) Online Tax Inquiry and Payment Program
       Wyoming County Commission
       $20,678.35
  • Youth Watershed Connections
       Friends of Deckers Creek Youth Advisory Board
       $27,500


Round One of Funds Awarded (2012)

In 2012, the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey’s Broadband Mapping Program awarded $677,625 in grant funds as part of the federally-funded Technical Assistance Grant Program. Thirty-three recipients were chosen based on their goals to create or improve the usage of broadband internet through train-the-trainer, education, or other applications.

Grants were awarded across all of the state’s eleven planning and development regions as well as in multiple sectors, including but not limited to, agriculture, economic development, education, government services, health care, and public safety. Information on the 2012 awards can be viewed below.

  • Ethernet Accessibility of Sensors and High Speed Internet for Water/Waste Water and Industrial Applications
       Central Barbour Public Service District
       $30,000
  • E-Reading to Succeed
        Community Connect Foundation
        $30,000
  • mapMercerCounty
       Development Authority of Mercer County
       $30,000
  • Mapping the West Virginia Local Food System
        Downstream Strategies/WVU GIS Tech Center
       $22,500
  • Online Building Permit and Zoning Application Tool
        Fayette County Commission
        $14,100
  • Fayette County 21st Century Electronic Government Access Project
        Fayette County Commission
        $8,599
  • Greenbrier County Broadband Tax Payment System
        Greenbrier County Commission
       $10,240.42
  • Assessor Online Web Development
        Hampshire County Assessor
        $28,800
  • Regional 911 Centers and AVL Location Communications System
        Hampshire County Office of Emergency Management
        $29,500
  • Hancock County Online Tax Payment System
       Hancock County Commission
       $7,125
  • Jefferson County Public Land Records Digitization and Archive
        Jefferson County Commission
        $30,000
  • Jefferson County Online Public Land Records Management System
       Jefferson County Commission
        $30,000
  • Advancing Economic Development with a 21st Century Advanced Manufacturing Interactive Network
        Marshall University Research Corp.
       $29,930
  • Assessor Online GIS Website
        Mineral County Assessor
       $11,450
  • Mineral County Online Public Access Project
        Mineral County Commission
       $16,615
  • Economic Development Application and Web Site
       Mingo County Redevelopment Authority
       $20,482
  • Sheriff Online Payment
       Ohio County Commission
       $10,000
  • Online Tax Payment and Inquiry System
        Ritchie County Commission
        $16,500
  • Internet Property Tax Inquiry
        Roane County Commission
        $17,100
  • Develop County Website
        Roane County Commission
        $8,315
  • Sheriff's Tax Office Internet Tax Collection
       Sheriff of Taylor County
       $7,500
  • Strengthening Local Agriculture with Web Tools for Farmers and Teachers
       WV Community Development Hub
       $8,420
  • Logging Operations Notification, Inspection, and Enforcement System (LONIE) Broadband Deployment
        West Virginia Division of Forestry
        $30,000
  • Broadband Simulcast Technician Training
       WV Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
        $22,200
  • Statewide Leaf-Off Imagery Service
        WVGIS Tech Center
       $5,950
  • Interagency Cooperation Tool
        WVGIS Tech Center/WV Division of Natural Resources
       $22,494
  • Certificate for Online Teaching
       WV Higher Education Policy Commission
       $24,300
  • Online Education and Research Tool Upgrade
        WV Humanities Council
       $21,094
  • Data Mapping: A Portal to Community Health
        WV School of Osteopathic Medicine, Center for Rural and Community Health
       $30,000
  • Teach and Learn the Electronic Health Record
       WV School of Osteopathic Medicine, Clinical Evaluation Center
       $30,000
  • WVU-P Virtual Training Center
       West Virginia University at Parkersburg
       $25,020
  • Extended Learning Virtual Advising
       WVU Research Corporation
       $28,294
  • Online Course Quality Improvement Project
       West Virginia Virtual Learning Network/WVNET
       $21,097

Regional Planning Council Grants

Overview/About

Grants were given to the eleven Regional Planning and Development Councils across the state to create Regional Broadband Planning Teams (RBPT). The teams conducted needs assessments, gathered and analyzed connectivity data by anchor institutions, small businesses, and residences, and considered factors that influence decisions to obtain or increase bandwidth capacity.

Based upon the results of the needs assessment, the RBPT developed strategic broadband deployment and adoption plans for their regions. The plans included measurable goals, objectives and benchmarks to keep broadband planning and implementation efforts on track. These plans will ultimately help communities within the eleven separate regions leverage the benefits of high-speed connectivity, including economic and social development initiatives that can and will later take advantage of federal, state and other grant opportunities and funding.

Page last revised: May 12, 2015.