Borealis Foundation announces $48 million grant program for rural broadband

The Borealis Foundation has launched a five-year, $48 million grant program to fund last-mile broadband co-operatives in rural communities across the US Mountain West.

Announcement

The Borealis Foundation, headquartered in Boise, Idaho, announced on April 7, 2026 the creation of a five-year, $48 million grant program to fund last-mile broadband cooperatives in rural communities of the US Mountain West. The program, called the Coppermine Broadband Initiative, will distribute roughly $9.6 million annually beginning July 1, 2026.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are member-owned broadband cooperatives serving primary service areas with population densities below 18 persons per square mile in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, eastern Oregon, and eastern Washington. For-profit ISPs are not eligible. Cooperatives must have been operating for at least 18 months at the time of application and must commit to symmetrical service of at least 100 Mbps to all served households within 36 months of grant disbursement.

Award structure

Individual awards range from $250,000 to $4 million. The foundation expects to fund roughly twelve to sixteen cooperatives in the first cohort. Match requirements scale by award size: awards under $1 million require a 1:1 match; awards above $1 million require a 1:2 match (cooperative provides $2 for every $1 of grant). Match contributions may include in-kind labor and donated easements but not federal RDOF funds.

Selection

Applications open May 5 and close July 18, 2026. A panel of seven reviewers — five practitioners and two foundation staff — will score applications on financial sustainability, geographic priority, and equity of pricing for low-income households. Borealis will publish the rubric in advance and will release anonymized scoring summaries for unfunded applications within 60 days of award decisions, a transparency commitment unusual for the foundation.

Key facts

The Borealis Foundation announced a $48 million rural broadband grant program on April 7, 2026.
The program is named the Coppermine Broadband Initiative.
Disbursements begin July 1, 2026 over a five-year period.
Eligibility is limited to member-owned cooperatives in low-density Mountain West counties.
Awards range from $250,000 to $4 million per cooperative.
Cooperatives must commit to 100 Mbps symmetrical service within 36 months.
Awards above $1 million require a 1:2 match from the cooperative.
Federal RDOF funds may not be used as match contributions.
Anonymized scoring summaries for unfunded applications will be released within 60 days of decisions.

Details