Funds Made Available Through Emergency Connectivity Fund Established One Year Ago by the Cleaver-supported American Rescue Plan

March 11, 2022

(Washington, D.C.) – One year after the American Rescue Plan became law, Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) announced today that Missouri’s Fifth District has received $15,027,886.59 to date from the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Emergency Connectivity Fund Program (ECF).  The ECF program, which was created as part of the American Rescue Plan, helps schools and libraries ensure that students can connect to the internet at home, allowing them to take advantage of online learning and do their homework. Known as the “homework gap,” students who lack access to the internet at home often fall behind their peers as curriculums and educational opportunities rely more and more on the ability to conduct online research and connect to the web.

According to the FCC, the $7.17 billion program has provided Missouri with $75,895,062.88 in total funding to date.

“Make no mistake, the COVID-19 pandemic laid bare what was already true – that with educational tools, homework, and opportunities increasingly online, kids without home internet access are often left without the basics needs to succeed,” said Congressman Cleaver.  “This critical funding, made possible by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, will help children across Missouri and throughout the Fifth District who don’t have the equipment or internet access necessary to stay connected and get their work done in this ever-evolving, digitized world.  I’m proud to have supported this program in Congress and will keep fighting to close the homework gap because students from Saline to Jackson County, regardless of circumstance, deserve the tools they need to succeed in school and beyond.”

The ECF Program will help cover costs of laptop and tablet computers, Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers, and broadband connectivity purchases for off-campus use by students, school staff, and library patrons.

The schools and libraries in Missouri’s Fifth District that have received funding from the FCC program include:

• Academy for Integrated Arts: $9,855.00
• Brookside Charter School: $90,000.00
• Center School District: $189,535.00
• Concordia School District: $68,770.40
• Cornerstones of Care: $60,600.00
• Frontier Schools: $576,108.60
• Grandview School District: $582,120.00
• Guadalupe Educational Systems: $277,593.00
• Hickman Mills School District: $76,000.00
• Hogan Preparatory Academy: $50,848.00
• Independence Missouri Public Schools: $126,048.00
• Kansas City Girls Preparatory Academy: $41,061.40
• Kansas City Public Library: $874,780.12
• Lawson School District: $206,000.00
• Lee’s Summit School District: $475,162.50
• Lone Jack School District: $53,807.00
• Marshall School District: $384,780.00
• North Kansas City School District: $9,380,000.00
• Oak Grove School District: $115,000.00
• Odessa School District: $169,575.00
• Ray County Library: $2,551.70
• Raytown School District: $716,181.92
• Richmond School District: $165,097.00
• Santa Fe School District: $16,000.00
• Slater School District: $111,959.15
• St. Peter Elementary School: $13,375.00
• St. Teresa’s Academy: $12,144.00
• St. Thomas More School: $105,593.80
• University Academy: $24,529.50
• Wellington-Napoleon School District: $52,810.00

Eligible schools and libraries may request and receive support through the Emergency Connectivity Fund. Details on how to apply can be found here (Español).