Imagine Idaho Foundation

In 2023 the Imagine Idaho team continued to develop a service hub for Idaho communities and regions with limited or no internet access, and in many cases very little knowledge, few resources, expertise, or capacity to get their communities connected. Funding continued with the multi-year education and planning process to support unserved and underserved idahoans to develop plans for developing reliable, affordable, future proof internet. The program offered essential coaching and advisory services for unserved and underserved cities, counties,and non-profits to help them access an unprecedented influx of federal and state funding that will become available in 2023 and 2024. Grant support underwrote: 1. Support services to grantees, at no cost to them, to further capacity building, education, coaching activities, community resilience planning, community engagement, community education through webinars and group training, newsletter updates, referral and partnership connection services, and liaise on their behalf with grant program opportunities. 2. Small support grants to grantees to waylay project expense hurdles. These included engineering studies, cost analysis and project management costs to assure their broadband plans reach underserved and unserved communities, are funded, and executed. Additional options for grants in the future include community surveys, economic impact studies, mapping and data analysis, and grant and proposal writing. 3. A coalition of over 60 community organizations, businesses, cities, and counties to work together ensure cohesive planning and execution that serves unserved and underserved Idaho residents.