AT&T Grants 2026: AT&T Foundation and How to Get Funded
Updated 4 official sources
Quick Answer: AT&T grants aren't open for nonprofits to apply as checked November 12, 2026. AT&T publishes no grant application, portal or deadline, and the AT&T Foundation's 2025 return reports $0 in grants paid.
Full answer and how we checked it
AT&T still gave $72.0 million with its foundation in 2025, according to AT&T's own KPI page, but it picks partners itself: mostly Connected Learning Centers (up to $50,000 each plus internet and computers), digital literacy groups and disaster relief. The closest real routes are AT&T employees who volunteer with or donate to your organization, and AT&T's local community teams.
Who this is for: This guide is for nonprofits, schools, libraries, youth programs and community groups that searched for AT&T grants or AT&T Foundation grants and want to know whether a request is worth the time. It covers what AT&T funds now, why the foundation stopped making ordinary grants, how Connected Learning Centers are chosen, and what AT&T's employees can direct to you. Grantsights isn't affiliated with AT&T or the AT&T Foundation.
Data note: Foundation figures come from the AT&T Foundation's Form 990-PF returns (EIN 43-1353948, Dallas, Texas, calendar years), read on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer on November 12, 2026. The 2025 return (submitted September 2026) reports $0 in grants. The 2024 return lists 184 grants worth $916,172, matching its line 3a total; Grantsights set aside all of it as not open to applicants: $500,000 to American Online Giving Foundation, a giving platform, for an employee disaster relief match; $304,967 in 2 grants to the AT&T Employee Relief Fund; and $111,205 in 181 grants to individual employees after hurricanes and storms. The 2022 return, the last full grant year, lists 518 grants worth $19,130,073; Grantsights set aside $5,000,000 to American Online Giving Foundation and $76,950 in 59 grants to individuals, leaving 458 grants worth $14,053,123 to organizations and governments. Company-wide totals come from AT&T's own Corporate Responsibility KPI page.
Last updated: 2026-11-12.
In this guide
- AT&T grants: 6 routes checked November 12, 2026
- Who AT&T funds: the Community Investment Policy's 4 program areas
- What happened to the AT&T Foundation's grants
- Who got AT&T Foundation grants when it still made them
- Connected Learning Centers: AT&T's main nonprofit program
- How to approach AT&T, step by step
- What AT&T's Giving Pages Don't Tell You
- Help for schools, libraries and digital literacy programs
- Is AT&T worth the effort? A 4-question check
- Where to look if AT&T isn't a fit
- How Grantsights Checked This Guide
- Sources
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AT&T grants: 6 routes checked November 12, 2026
Grantsights checked 6 AT&T giving routes on November 12, 2026. None takes an open application from a nonprofit, and 2 of them depend on an AT&T employee choosing your organization.
| AT&T route | Pays for | Who can get it | Published amount | Status on November 12, 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Foundation grants | Digital divide, community support and safety, health and human services, arts and culture | 501(c)(3) public charities and government bodies | Not published | No grants paid in 2025; no application route published | Community Investment Policy (PDF) (opens in a new tab) |
| AT&T corporate contributions | Same priorities, mostly digital divide | 501(c)(3)s, government bodies, and other social-purpose groups | $72.0 million with the foundation in 2025 | Chosen by AT&T; no form published | Community Engagement page (opens in a new tab) |
| Connected Learning Centers | Internet, Wi-Fi, Dell computers, digital literacy training, up to $50,000 | Local nonprofits AT&T selects | Up to $50,000 per center | Ongoing. 100th center opened July 24, 2026; goal of 100+ by end of 2027 | Connected Learning Centers page (opens in a new tab) |
| AT&T Believes matching gifts | Employee donations | Nonprofits an employee gives to | 100% match, up to $1,000 per employee a year | Ongoing. Employee-directed | Community Engagement page (opens in a new tab) |
| AT&T Believes Volunteer Rewards | Grants tied to employee volunteer time | Nonprofits where employees volunteer | Up to $1,000 per employee a year | Ongoing. Employee-directed | Community Engagement page (opens in a new tab) |
| Disaster relief | Relief partners after disasters | Chosen by AT&T (Red Cross, ITDRC, SBP, local funds) | $2.3 million in corporate disaster relief in 2025 | Chosen by AT&T | Community Engagement page (opens in a new tab) |
Recently closed: the foundation's own grantmaking. According to its returns, grants fell from $19.1 million in 2022 to $0 in 2025. Grantsights found no AT&T Aspire page in AT&T's newsroom sitemap on November 12, 2026.
The honest read: AT&T still gives a lot, but it isn't a funder you can apply to. Treat it as a partner you get to know locally, not a grant program with a deadline.
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Who AT&T funds: the Community Investment Policy's 4 program areas
AT&T's Community Investment Policy, updated January 2026, governs both corporate contributions (approved by the AT&T Contributions Council) and AT&T Foundation grants (approved by the foundation's board). It names 2 kinds of qualifying organizations for both: 501(c)(3) public charities and government instrumentalities acting for charitable purposes. Only the Contributions Council can also fund groups with social-purpose programs that aren't 501(c)(3)s.
The policy says programs funded generally serve underserved or low-income communities, and that "the majority of funding supports bridging the Digital Divide." It lists 4 areas:
- Digital divide: broadband access, availability and adoption; responsible technology use, online safety and digital wellbeing.
- Community support and safety: employee engagement projects, environmental sustainability, disaster relief and recovery, and economic development in low-income areas, including digital adoption, small business and skills training.
- Health and human services: new or collaborative approaches to community health and human services needs.
- Arts and culture: arts education and educational outreach.
The policy calls funding for the last 3 areas limited. The foundation's half of that giving is public: the IRS requires every private foundation to file Form 990-PF (opens in a new tab) each year, whether or not it had activity, which is why the foundation's empty 2025 grant list is public.
What happened to the AT&T Foundation's grants
The AT&T Foundation's grants fell about 95% in 2 years. According to the return data, it paid $19,130,073 in grants in 2022, $7,701,000 in 2023, $916,172 in 2024 and nothing in 2025.
| Year (calendar) | Grants paid (line 3a) | What the money went to |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $19,130,073 (518 grants) | 458 grants to organizations and governments, $5 million to a giving platform, 59 grants to individuals |
| 2023 | $7,701,000 (3 grants) | $7.6 million to American Online Giving Foundation for the "AT&T Employee Matching Gift & Volunteer Rewards Program," $100,000 to the Information Technology Disaster Resource Center, $1,000 to an individual |
| 2024 | $916,172 (184 grants) | Employee disaster relief and a relief-fund match through March 2025 |
| 2025 | $0 | No grants; $550,370 in contributions received |
AT&T's own figures show the giving moved to the company rather than stopping. According to the KPI data on AT&T's corporate responsibility site, corporate and AT&T Foundation giving totaled $89.1 million in 2022, $77.5 million in 2023, $75.1 million in 2024 and $72.0 million in 2025. Set against the returns, the foundation's share fell from about 21% in 2022 to zero in 2025.
The 2025 return is still worth reading. It doesn't check the box saying the foundation gives only to preselected charities, it lists a contact at AT&T's Dallas headquarters, and it says there are no submission deadlines. But the form and restrictions lines point to an attachment ("ATCH A") that isn't in the public e-file. With no grants paid and no published process, Grantsights doesn't treat that as an open route.
Who got AT&T Foundation grants when it still made them
Grantsights analysis of the 2022 990-PF, the foundation's last full grant year, shows 458 grants worth $14,053,123 to organizations and governments in 50 states and Washington, D.C., after the exclusions in the data note. The median grant was $20,000.
| Grant size (2022, organizations) | Grants | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Under $10,000 | 57 | $284,140 |
| $10,000 to $24,999 | 196 | $3,000,817 |
| $25,000 to $49,999 | 139 | $3,912,011 |
| $50,000 to $99,999 | 42 | $2,440,060 |
| $100,000 to $249,999 | 19 | $2,366,095 |
| $250,000 and up | 5 | $2,050,000 |
| Total | 458 | $14,053,123 |
253 of the 458 grants, 55%, were under $25,000. The return labels every grant with 1 of 5 program areas:
| Program area (2022) | Grants | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Education | 357 | $10,705,993 |
| Community Support and Safety | 34 | $1,557,630 |
| Arts, Media and Culture | 49 | $1,369,250 |
| Health and Human Services | 17 | $405,250 |
| Business and Economic Development | 1 | $15,000 |
California led with 54 grants worth $1,897,439, followed by Texas (52 grants, $1,455,388), New York (33, $1,431,750), Colorado (13, $971,000) and Florida (26, $831,380). That map follows AT&T's biggest markets and its Dallas headquarters.
For example, Compudopt received $225,000 in 2022 for its technology access work, and UPchieve received $175,000 for free online tutoring. The largest gifts went to national groups: Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) got $500,000, St. Bernard Project (SBP) $300,000 and the Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta $250,000. Small local grants were common too. One organization in Connecticut, Friends of the Bethel Public Library, received $10,000, as did Mississippi Coding Academies and Human-I-T in California. The return also lists 6 government grants, including $25,000 each to the City of Miramar, Florida and the University of Missouri.
Several of those 2022 names still show up in AT&T's current work. Compudopt and Human-I-T refurbish devices with AT&T, UPchieve tutors through AT&T Believes, and SBP is a disaster partner. That's the pattern to notice: AT&T keeps working with groups it already knows.
Connected Learning Centers: AT&T's main nonprofit program
AT&T opened its 100th Connected Learning Center on July 24, 2026, at Street Soccer USA in Sacramento, California. AT&T's release says each center receives "an investment of up to $50,000" from AT&T, along with internet service, Wi-Fi, Dell computers and access to digital literacy courses and training. AT&T says the centers have served more than 200,000 people since the first opened in 2021.
AT&T's Digital Divide brief says it launched 26 new centers in 2025, bringing the total to 86 at the end of that year. The April 2025 release named 25 new host organizations, including A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club in Birmingham, Goodwill Industries of North Florida in Jacksonville, Greater Milwaukee Urban League, Texas Native Health in Dallas, Janet Goeske Senior Center in Riverside, California and United Way of Long Island. AT&T's 2026 release lists national partners as Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Goodwill, The Salvation Army and YMCA of the USA.
How hosts are chosen: none of AT&T's pages or releases checked on November 12, 2026 describe an application. AT&T's releases say it "awards" centers to nonprofits, and its policy routes all contributions through internal councils. A realistic path is to already run a trusted community space, with staff who can teach digital skills, in a market where AT&T is active, and to be known to AT&T's local external affairs or community team.
California has its own 2026 money: AT&T's May 20, 2026 release on its California network commitment promises 6 more centers in the state in 2026, more than 30 digital literacy workshops, and an additional $1.2 million to California nonprofits working on the digital divide, disaster preparedness and older adults and tribal members, on top of more than $2.5 million given in the state in 2025.
How to approach AT&T, step by step
Grantsights checked these 6 steps against AT&T's Community Engagement page, its Community Investment Policy and its 2025 and 2026 releases on November 12, 2026.
- Confirm you qualify. AT&T's policy lists 501(c)(3) public charities and government bodies. The IRS explains exemption requirements for 501(c)(3) organizations (opens in a new tab) if your status needs work.
- Fit the digital divide first. Broadband adoption, device access, digital literacy, online safety or AI basics for low-income learners, older adults or tribal communities. The policy says most money goes there.
- Recruit AT&T employees. AT&T matches employee gifts 100% up to $1,000 a year and pays up to $1,000 a year in Volunteer Rewards where employees volunteer. AT&T's KPI page says 36% of employees volunteered or gave in 2025.
- Offer a volunteer project. AT&T's employee campaigns (Bridge to Possibility backpacks and laptops, Earth Month, Giving Season) send volunteers to nonprofits. Bridge to Possibility reached more than 80 nonprofits in 17 states in 2025, according to AT&T.
- Get known locally. AT&T's releases show executives and local partners opening centers together, and its policy puts external affairs staff on the councils that approve contributions. A short note to AT&T's regional external affairs office about a digital literacy project is more realistic than a cold proposal.
- Keep the ask concrete. Name the people served, the devices or hours of training, and a budget near the amounts AT&T publishes, such as up to $50,000 for a full center.
Common mistake: mailing a proposal to the AT&T Foundation's address on its 990-PF. The foundation paid no grants in 2025, and the return's application details point to an attachment that isn't public. A letter there is unlikely to reach a decision-maker with a budget.
What AT&T's Giving Pages Don't Tell You
Grantsights checked AT&T's corporate responsibility pages against the foundation's four latest returns, and 6 things stand out.
1. The foundation is close to empty. Its 2025 return shows about $2.45 million in assets at fair market value and no grants. Directories built from older filings may still list it as taking requests.
2. The $5 billion commitment isn't a grant pool. AT&T's April 2024 release describes $5 billion since 2021 to narrow the digital divide and help 25 million people get connected by 2030. The same release counted "more than $123 million" in charitable contributions to digital divide nonprofits since 2021. Most of the $5 billion is discounted internet service, network building and related programs. Don't underestimate how small the cash share is.
3. Employee giving looks like foundation giving on paper. In 2023, $7.6 million of the foundation's $7.7 million went to a giving platform for the employee matching and Volunteer Rewards program. In 2024, $500,000 went to the same platform to match employee disaster relief gifts through March 2025. That's why AT&T's 2025 report can mention foundation matching while the 2025 return shows no grants.
4. Repeat partners win. Compudopt, Human-I-T, UPchieve, SBP and Boys & Girls Clubs appear in the 2022 grant list and in AT&T's 2025 and 2026 program pages. 24 of the 2022 grants went to Boys & Girls Clubs, and clubs host 35 of the 94 Connected Learning Centers on AT&T's list, more than any other kind of group.
5. AT&T's pages publish no deadline at all. No cycle, no portal, no form. A red flag: any website offering an "AT&T grant application" with a deadline isn't using an AT&T page Grantsights could find.
6. Federal money AT&T used to point to has ended. AT&T's April 2024 release said the federal Affordable Connectivity Program was winding down. The FCC's archived Affordable Connectivity Program page (opens in a new tab) now carries a release titled "FCC Brings Affordable Connectivity Program to a Close." AT&T offers its own discounted Access from AT&T plan instead.
Help for schools, libraries and digital literacy programs
The FCC's E-Rate program (opens in a new tab) is the steadiest money for school and library connectivity. Per the FCC, E-Rate discounts eligible internet and internal network services by 20% to 90%, depending on poverty level and whether the school or library is urban or rural, with funding capped at an annual $3.9 billion adjusted for inflation. It isn't an AT&T grant, but AT&T and other carriers are among the service providers schools buy from.
AT&T's own education offers are discounts, not grants. Its April 2024 release says AT&T offers discounted wireless service to more than 135,000 public and private K-12 schools, colleges and universities, and its free K-12 platform, The Achievery, added more than 125,500 users in 2025, according to AT&T's Digital Divide brief.
For a library or nonprofit running digital skills classes, AT&T's partners are worth knowing. AT&T's Community Engagement page names the Public Library Association, National PTA and Older Adults Technology Services as partners for digital literacy workshops. If your library already works with one of them, ask whether AT&T volunteers or materials are available locally.
Is AT&T worth the effort? A 4-question check
- Is your work about internet access, devices or digital skills? If not, AT&T's policy says funding is limited.
- Do AT&T employees live or work near you? If yes, employee matching and Volunteer Rewards are your most reachable AT&T money.
- Could you host a public computer space? Connected Learning Center hosts are community organizations with space, staff and a steady flow of learners.
- Do you need money on a deadline? If yes, AT&T isn't the funder; it publishes no cycle.
Plausible fit: a Boys & Girls Club in Texas that runs evening computer classes for parents, with three AT&T employees already volunteering. Poor fit: a food pantry asking AT&T for general operating support through a mailed proposal.
Where to look if AT&T isn't a fit
Digital equity funding is spread across many funders, so plan a mix. Grants for digital literacy programs and grants for nonprofit technology list open programs, grants for school technology covers schools, and broadband grants and grants for rural internet cover connectivity projects. Texas groups near AT&T's headquarters can start with Texas nonprofit grants, and corporate grants for nonprofits lists companies that do take applications.
Related funder guides: if what you need is software rather than cash, Microsoft's nonprofit grants are in-kind licenses and Azure credits that 501(c)(3)s can request year-round, which AT&T doesn't offer. Small-town groups that hoped for a telecom grant should read the T-Mobile Hometown Grants guide: that program closed in 2026, and the guide lists the closest replacements. For a small business owner, Verizon's small business grants are the telecom route still taking entries, with $10,000 awards tied to free training courses.
Grantsights tools: Grantsights' education funder lists group private foundations that fund schools, libraries and learning programs by state, drawn from their own 990-PF filings, and you can preview your state free.
How Grantsights Checked This Guide
Grantsights checked 7 AT&T pages and documents and 4 returns on November 12, 2026. ProPublica's records list the AT&T Foundation in Dallas, Texas under EIN 43-1353948, and each return's header shows the same EIN. The IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search refused automated requests that day.
| AT&T page or filing | Finding on November 12, 2026 | Use it to |
|---|---|---|
| Community Investment Policy (updated January 2026) | 501(c)(3)s and government bodies qualify; majority of funding to the digital divide; 4 program areas | Check fit |
| Community Engagement and Investment page | $72.0 million in 2025 giving; $1,000 match and $1,000 Volunteer Rewards per employee; $2.3 million in 2025 disaster relief | Find employee routes |
| Corporate Responsibility KPI page | Giving of $89.1M, $77.5M, $75.1M, $72.0M in 2022 to 2025 | See the trend |
| Connected Learning Centers page and July 24, 2026 release | 100th center; up to $50,000 per center; no application published | Understand the main program |
| Digital Divide brief and April 2024 release | 86 centers at end of 2025; $5 billion commitment; $123 million+ in contributions since 2021 | Size the commitment |
| AT&T Foundation 990-PF, 2022 to 2025 | $19.1M, $7.7M, $916,172, $0 in grants | See where the foundation went |
Sources
- AT&T: Community Engagement and Investment (opens in a new tab)
- AT&T: Community Investment Policy, updated January 2026 (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- AT&T: Corporate Responsibility KPIs (opens in a new tab)
- AT&T: Connected Learning Centers (opens in a new tab)
- AT&T: Digital Divide issue brief (opens in a new tab)
- AT&T: AT&T Opens 100th Connected Learning Center (July 24, 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- AT&T: AT&T Awards Connected Learning Centers to 25 Non-Profit Organizations (April 29, 2025) (opens in a new tab)
- AT&T: $3 billion recommitment, $5 billion total since 2021 (April 2024) (opens in a new tab)
- AT&T: $19 Billion Commitment to California (May 20, 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer: AT&T Foundation filings (opens in a new tab)
- IRS: Private Foundation Annual Return (opens in a new tab)
- IRS: Exemption Requirements, 501(c)(3) Organizations (opens in a new tab)
- FCC: E-Rate, Universal Service Program for Schools and Libraries (opens in a new tab)
- FCC: Affordable Connectivity Program (archived) (opens in a new tab)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the AT&T Foundation accepting grant applications?
Not in any way Grantsights could find. As checked November 12, 2026, AT&T's corporate responsibility pages and its Community Investment Policy (updated January 2026) publish no application form, portal or deadline. The AT&T Foundation's 2025 Form 990-PF reports no grants paid that year, and its 2024 grants went to employee relief and an employee matching program.
How much does AT&T give to nonprofits?
AT&T's Corporate Responsibility KPI page reports $72.0 million in corporate and AT&T Foundation giving in 2025, down from $89.1 million in 2022. Almost none of it now runs through the foundation: its returns show $19.1 million in grants in 2022, $7.7 million in 2023, $916,172 in 2024 and $0 in 2025.
How does a nonprofit get an AT&T Connected Learning Center?
AT&T picks the host organizations; its pages don't publish an application. Each Connected Learning Center gets up to $50,000 from AT&T, plus internet service, Dell computers and digital literacy training. AT&T opened its 100th center on July 24, 2026. Of the 94 hosts listed on AT&T's center page, 35 are Boys & Girls Clubs; others include YMCAs, Urban League affiliates, senior centers and local community groups.
Who qualifies for AT&T charitable support?
AT&T's Community Investment Policy lists 501(c)(3) public charities and government instrumentalities for charitable purposes. Most funding supports bridging the digital divide for underserved and low-income communities, with limited funding for community support and safety, health and human services, and arts and culture.
Can AT&T employees direct money to my nonprofit?
Yes. Through AT&T Believes, AT&T matches employee donations 100%, up to $1,000 per employee per year, and pays Volunteer Rewards grants of up to $1,000 a year to nonprofits where employees volunteer. Your organization can't apply for these; an AT&T employee has to choose you.
Does AT&T have grants for small businesses or schools?
Grantsights found no current AT&T small-business grant program on AT&T's newsroom or corporate responsibility pages on November 12, 2026. Schools and libraries can cut internet costs through the FCC's E-Rate program, which discounts eligible services 20% to 90%, and AT&T offers discounted wireless plans to K-12 schools and colleges.
Last updated November 12, 2026. Published by Grantsights from public sources. See our editorial policy, how we build and check guides, corrections and how we make money.
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