T-Mobile’s Hometown Grants Spark Positive Change in 25 New Communities

BELLEVUE, Wash., September 28, 2023 /3BL/ - What’s the news: T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) named its next 25 Hometown Grant recipients, bringing the total to 225 communities since the Un-carrier announced its massive five-year commitment to small towns in April 2021. The company has now given more than $10 million to kickstart community development ideas across 42 states, with projects like upgrading tech at local libraries, building new hiking trails and revitalizing historic buildings.

Why it matters: T-Mobile is committed to being a force for good, and Hometown Grants is one way the Un-carrier is making a big difference in small towns. With $25 million set aside through 2026 to fund community projects, T-Mobile is empowering more people with digital connections that create a more sustainable future for all. Beyond Hometown Grants, T-Mobile is helping small town America thrive through initiatives like Project 10Million, which offers free internet connectivity to eligible students to help close the digital divide in education and T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, which gives millions of Americans access to more affordable home broadband.

Who it’s for: Anyone who wants to make a positive impact on their community.

How it works: To select Hometown Grant recipients, T-Mobile works with Main Street America and Smart Growth America — two organizations with expertise in building stronger, healthier and more connected communities. Applications are evaluated based on their level of detail and completeness, community need and impact, feasibility and other considerations. T-Mobile awards 25 Hometown Grants each quarter to small towns with a population of 50,000 or less.

To apply for a Hometown Grant for your town, visit here.

The recipients: Here are the next 25 Hometown Grant recipients and their projects:

• Springville, Ala.: Renovate the Main Street Farmers Market Pavilion, including a new pergola, concrete pad, concrete stage, exterior lighting, planter boxes and AstroTurf area for community events and gatherings.
• Kingsburg, Calif.: Install restrooms, solar lighting, landscaping, and Wi-Fi access points at Athwal Park as part of a multi-year, master-planned recreation project to add new amenities, including improved digital access.
• Mount Shasta, Calif.: Launch the Fire Toolkit Project through the Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center, aimed at providing fire prevention and safety resources, equipment, and training to communities across Siskiyou County, including a fully equipped mobile trailer.
• Calhoun, Ga.: Revamp the Cyber Café at the Boys & Girls Clubs serving Chattooga, Gordon, Murray and Whitfield Counties, by updating technology with routers, tablets with a portable charging station, touchscreen televisions and an interactive virtual educational system for youth to have a dedicated space for homework help and program engagement.
• Colfax, Iowa: Beautify Downtown Colfax with the addition of a pocket park, including brick pavers, tables, chairs, bicycle racks, planter boxes, a sculptural partition, and other public art, to provide an outdoor community gathering space.
• Independence, Iowa: Put in artificial turf at all five fields at the Independence Baseball/Softball Complex to expand youth sports programs and create jobs across northeast Iowa.
• Highland, Ill.: Install a new, unique playground this fall at Highland’s Silver Lake Park with ropes, logs, boulders, and other elements of nature incorporated into it that will inspire imagination.
• Rantoul, Ill.: Preserve the area’s rich railroad, agriculture and military history by incorporating and installing interactive sculptures and murals around Downtown Rantoul, as a part of the Downtown Streetscape Project.
• Peru, Ind.: Revive seven city blocks of downtown Peru, installing benches, bike racks and trash receptacles to increase walkability and gathering at downtown events and farmers market activities.
• Iola, Kan.: Create four murals depicting historical industries and landmarks that represent the area, in partnership with local designer Max Grundy that will be seen from U.S. Route 54 and 169.
• Hagerstown, Md.: Support an interactive life safety education program for youth, addressing critical issues like traffic and pedestrian safety, fire and water safety and more at the Children’s Village Skills Training Building, taught by emergency responders and retired educators.
• Skowhegan, Maine: Build The Kitchen at 185, a shared commercial kitchen and business incubator, aimed to support food producers, purveyors and restaurateurs by cultivating a business ecosystem, including flex spaces for food vendors to market their products and a food hall area for the community.
• Marshall, Minn.: Create a career and technical workforce training center for youth, available to all students throughout the public school system to provide more opportunities for hands-on and skills-based learning.
• Historic Village of Gold Hill, N.C.: Replace worn out wooden boardwalks in the village and add ADA accessibility to areas, increase public safety as well as install benches dedicated to our local veterans throughout the village.
• Franklin, N.C.: Construct a bilingual community health center out of an acquired 16,000 square foot warehouse, including integrated primary/behavioral healthcare and pharmacy, dental care, social services agencies, meeting spaces, health and fitness classes, community groups and arts to provide needed resources for the community.
• Lovington, N.M.: Revamp the historic art-deco style Lea Theatre, including updates to the building’s roof, exterior, electrical and plumbing, to provide the community with an entertainment venue.
• Pahrump, Nev.: Install a water splash pad at Simkins Park, providing a way for children in the community to cool off and a sustainable, economical water solution in a water-restricted desert climate.
• Anadarko, Okla.: Beautify the historic downtown Miller Theater by adding an outdoor greenspace area, including a raised stage and amphitheater, restrooms, outdoor seating, concession stand and mural honoring the town’s rich history of the Native American community.
• Guthrie, Okla.: Renovate the Hope House, a temporary haven for families and individuals, including updates to living resources like laundry services, bathrooms and storage, and an updated surveillance system, security doors and fencing to help ensure the safety of residents.
• McMinnville, Ore.: Transform a high traffic alley passageway into the McMinnville Community Art Alley, a beautiful, safe culture focal point in the downtown area, with the partnership of 10 local businesses.
• Warm Springs, Ore.: Create the Warm Springs Commissary, reclaiming a 125-year-old former Bureau of Indian Affairs commissary building and turning it into a sustainably built co-working space with retail (barber shop, café, art store), food carts, outdoor pavilion and community gathering spaces supporting 40 aspiring or current tribal small businesses.
• DuBois, Pa.: Launch the Dubois Area Middle School esports program, providing technology equipment like gaming computers and consoles, wall-mounted televisions and seating to encourage esports competitions across the region.
• Derry Township, Lewistown, Pa.: Build two new playgrounds (Tot Lot and Youth), remodel restrooms and add native plantings to provide the community with much needed outdoor family recreational space.
• Dyersburg, Tenn.: Repair the Dyersburg Farmers Market, a highly attended outdoor space, by replacing uneven concrete floor slabs, metal siding and installing handrails to improve public safety.
• Mount Carmel, Tenn.: Create an outdoor classroom in City Park for students from Mount Carmel Elementary, Mount Carmel Library summer reading program, and area homeschool groups, to have a dedicated, creative space to learn ecology, gardening and crafts.

Check out how Hometown Grants are positively impacting small towns nationwide here.

For more information about T-Mobile's commitment to small towns, visit www.t-mobile.com/hometowngrants.

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About T-Mobile 
T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS) is America’s supercharged Un-carrier, delivering an advanced 4G LTE and transformative nationwide 5G network that will offer reliable connectivity for all. T-Mobile’s customers benefit from its unmatched combination of value and quality, unwavering obsession with offering them the best possible service experience and undisputable drive for disruption that creates competition and innovation in wireless and beyond. Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile provides services through its subsidiaries and operates its flagship brands, T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile and Sprint. For more information please visit: https://www.t-mobile.com