What’s the news: T-Mobile announced its latest 25 Hometown Grant winners, bringing the total to 175 small towns since the Un-carrier launched the initiative in April 2021 to support rural communities across the country.
Why it matters: The Un-carrier dedicated $25 million to fund community development projects like revitalized downtown spaces, revamped parks, building renovations and sustainability efforts — and it’s making a positive impact for thousands of people in small towns.
Who it’s for: Anyone with a vision for how to make their community even stronger than it is today.
T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) continues to deliver on its massive 5-year commitment to small towns. Today, the Un-carrier announced its next round of 25 Hometown Grant winners and their projects:
- Wickenburg, Ariz.: Create the Kid’s Corral Play to Learn Space at the Wickenburg Public Library to encourage exploration and promote literacy development opportunities for community youth.
- Yreka, Calif.: Retrofit the Siskiyou Community Food Bank with necessary food transportation equipment and storage to address food insecurity and support the Siskiyou County community.
- Arcadia, Fla.: Restore Arcadia Downtown Main Street business property facades following the devastating Hurricanes Ian and Nicole, in order to assist business owners and renovate downtown historical buildings.
- Fort Valley, Ga.: Add innovative zSpace augmented and virtual reality technology to the Peach County High School Discovery Lab to increase hands on and immersive learning opportunities for students of all learning styles and abilities.
- Perry, Iowa: Build the first inclusive ADA playground at Wiese Park for children of all abilities to enjoy.
- Kankakee, Ill.: Enhance technology at The Co.LAB @ Station Street equity-based business incubation and workforce development facility with touchscreens and video content for the Welcome Tech Center.
- Auburn, Kan.: Build a lighted pavilion for a highly used outdoor exercise park near the Auburn Civic Center to protect community users from outdoor elements and continue to promote healthy lifestyles.
- Parsons, Kan.: Connect existing outdoor hike and bike Rotary and Frisco trails and enhance security by adding emergency blue box cameras to promote outdoor recreation use.
- Yarmouth, Maine: Renovate a neglected park on Main Street which presently is used for parking; improvements will reduce impervious surface, add native plantings, create space for people to gather, and be accessible for people of all ages and abilities.
- Marine City, Mich.: Revitalize the Marine City Tot Lot, a downtown municipal park, including installing a new play structure, benches, signage, fencing and rubber surface to increase safety and community use.
- Crookston, Minn.: Repair steps of 100-year-old historical Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception now used to hold community events and gatherings.
- Holden, Mo.: Build attractive ADA hand railings for more than 20 downtown businesses as a part of the Holden Downtown Railing Project, to improve safety and the welfare of the community while preserving the historic downtown aesthetics.
- Greenville, Miss.: Complete the outdoor children’s garden at the Mississippi Delta Nature and Learning Center to increase health, education and economic development.
- Choteau, Mont.: Build the first-everfenced2-acre dog park to provide a safe, public space for dogs and the dog owner community to enjoy.
- North Wilkesboro, N.C.: Revitalize the Yadkin Valley Marketplace by adding seating, shade canopies and greenery to continue hosting farmers markets and outdoor concerts to increase community use.
- Wilkesboro, N.C.: Install wayfinding, ecological, and interpretative signage and sensory art at a playground universally designed for all ages and mobility levels within Wilkesboro’s Cub Creek Park.
- Lebanon, N.H.: Replace outdated lighting system at the historic Lebanon Opera House, a performing arts and community gathering space, to include new state of the art LED lighting for future theatrical performances.
- Sanbornton, N.H.: Renovate community space at the historic 1825 Woodman-Academy Building, to include window restoration and updates to the heating and cooling system, continuing to serve the community’s many programs and gatherings.
- Perkins, Okla.: Transform the future Perkins Public Library building, including modern updates to the building’s exterior, to meet the demands of a growing community and continue to support developmental programs for youth and adults.
- Phoenix, Ore.: Rebuild Blue Heron Park after the 2020 Almeda Fire destroyed much of the area, including landscaping, walkways/paver surfaces, three shade sail structures, a dual pedestal water fountain and new handicap accessible benches and tables.
- Siletz, Ore.: Upgrade indoor and outdoor lighting at the Siletz Public Library to ensure the library will continue to be an inviting, warm and safe place for the Siletz community to gather, learn and grow together.
- Pittston, Pa.: Outfit a permanent stage in the Pittston Downtown district to support the highly attended annual Tomato Festival and future community events.
- Brackettville, Texas: Restore the Fort Clark Springs Swim Park, the third largest spring-fed pool in Texas and a National Register Historic District structure, to continue to serve the community as an outdoor recreational gathering space.
- Payson, Utah: Revitalize “The Sideshow,” a vacant, unused movie theater in downtown Payson to host performing arts and musical performances and serve as a classroom for theatre students.
- Luray, Va.: Renovate Ruffner Plaza, a popular gathering place, by replacing concrete to ensure accessibility and safety, adding lighting and electrical outlets, installing a shade structure, and replacing safety bollards around the plaza’s parking lot.
To select Hometown Grant recipients, T-Mobile works with Main Street America and Smart Growth America — two organizations with decades of experience helping to build stronger, more prosperous small towns and rural communities. Applications are evaluated based on their level of detail and completeness, potential community impact, project viability and other considerations. T-Mobile awards up to 25 Hometown Grants each quarter with a population of 50,000 or less.
To submit a proposal for Hometown Grants, visit https://www.t-mobile.com/brand/hometown-grants.
Keeping Communities Connected
T-Mobile’s Hometown Grants initiative is just one way the Un-carrier is supporting small towns. Beyond plans and new devices, T-Mobile’s network is upending home broadband, delivering an alternative to traditional internet service providers (ISPs) and helping bridge the digital divide. Just two years since its commercial launch, T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is now available to more than 50 million households — a third of them in rural America which previously had limited or no access to broadband options.
For more information on past Hometown Grant recipients, visit the T-Mobile Newsroom here, here, and here.
For more information about T-Mobile’s commitment to small towns, visit T-Mobile.com/AcrossAmerica.
Follow T-Mobile’s Official Twitter Newsroom @TMobileNews to stay up to date with the latest company news.
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.
About Main Street America
Main Street America has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for over 40 years. Today, it is a network of more than 1,200 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, who share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, communities participating in the program have leveraged more than $95.33 billion in new public and private investment, generated 717,723 net new jobs and 161,036 net new businesses, and rehabilitated more than 314,431 buildings. Main Street America is a program of the nonprofit National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit www.mainstreet.org.
About Smart Growth America
Smart Growth America envisions a country where no matter where you live, or who you are, you can enjoy living in a place that is healthy, prosperous, and resilient. We empower communities through technical assistance, advocacy, and thought leadership to realize our vision of livable places, healthy people, and shared prosperity, https://smartgrowthamerica.org/.
