T-Mobile Hometown Grants 2026: Program Ended, What Now
Updated 3 official sources
Quick Answer: T-Mobile Hometown Grants are closed for good. T-Mobile named its final 26 recipients on June 25, 2026, ending a 5-year program that funded 500 small-town projects with grants of up to $50,000, and nothing is open to replace it as checked November 6, 2026.
Full answer and how we checked it
For nonprofit and town leaders in places under 50,000 people, the closest current routes are state CDBG programs, federal placemaking grants and other corporate programs listed below. HQ Grants, the one T-Mobile grant program with a public application that Grantsights found, serves Seattle- and Kansas City-area nonprofits and is closed until 2027 dates are posted.
Who this is for: If you're a mayor, town manager, Main Street director, tribal leader or small-town nonprofit that searched for T-Mobile Hometown Grants, this guide tells you whether you can still apply (you can't), what the program paid for and who won, and which open programs fund the same kind of shovel-ready community project. Grantsights isn't affiliated with T-Mobile or Main Street America.
Data note: Hometown Grants totals and recipient towns come from T-Mobile's own pages: its Hometown Grants page (opens in a new tab) and the state award map on it, and newsroom posts dated March 26, June 25 and September 29, 2026, all checked November 6, 2026. Hometown Grants don't appear in the T-Mobile USA Foundation's Form 990-PF. Foundation figures come from Grantsights analysis of the foundation's 990-PF grants, pulled November 5, 2026 (tax years 2023 and 2024). Following Grantsights' employee-gift rule, that analysis leaves out employee matching gifts and employee-directed grants, which no organization can apply for: 1 grant of $7,206,980 in 2024 and 9 grants totaling $6,661,629 in 2023 (one matching gift payment of $6,598,129 plus 8 Volun-T employee volunteer grants).
Last updated: 2026-11-06.
In this guide
- T-Mobile Hometown Grants status on November 6, 2026
- How the T-Mobile Hometown Grants program worked
- Who actually got T-Mobile Hometown Grants
- Where the T-Mobile USA Foundation's money goes
- What T-Mobile's Hometown Grants pages don't tell you
- How to apply for T-Mobile money now
- What to apply for instead of a Hometown Grant
- Reusing a Hometown Grants proposal: a 5-point check
- How Grantsights Checked This Guide
- Related Guides
- Sources
T-Mobile Hometown Grants status on November 6, 2026
Grantsights checked 5 T-Mobile routes on November 6, 2026. None is an open application for a small town. The table shows each one, what it pays for and where T-Mobile says it stands.
| T-Mobile route | Pays for | Eligible applicants | Amount T-Mobile published | Status checked November 6, 2026 | T-Mobile source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hometown Grants | Shovel-ready projects that build, rebuild or refresh community spaces | Elected officials, town staff, tribal leaders and nonprofit leaders in towns under 50,000 | Up to $50,000 per town | Ended. Final 26 recipients announced June 25, 2026; the application address now redirects to the information page | Program page (opens in a new tab), final-round announcement (opens in a new tab) |
| HQ Grants | Digital access programs (priority) and housing and homelessness services (about 20% of budget) | 501(c)(3) nonprofits serving King, Snohomish or Pierce County, Wash., or Jackson, Platte, Cass, Clay, Johnson or Wyandotte County in the Kansas City area | Typically $25,000 to $50,000 a year; multiyear proposals accepted | Closed for 2026. Deadlines were April 30 and July 31, 2026; 2027 dates not announced | HQ Grants page (opens in a new tab) |
| Friday Night 5G Lights | Home football field upgrades and cash prizes for high schools | High schools (2026 applications closed; public voting runs through November 8) | $25,000 to 40 finalists, $250,000 to 4 division winners, $1,000,000 grand prize | Closed to new entries. Next season not announced | Friday Night 5G Lights (opens in a new tab) |
| Project 10Million | Free or subsidized mobile internet for eligible K-12 student households | Families, by program eligibility such as the National School Lunch Program or SNAP | Not a grant | Open to families, not to organizations | Project 10Million (opens in a new tab) |
| Changemaker Challenge (youth) | Youth-led ideas, run with Ashoka in past years | Young people | Not published on a current page | No current page found. t-mobile.com/brand/changemaker-challenge returned "not found" | T-Mobile USA Foundation 990-PF, 2023 |
Recently closed: Hometown Grants' final application window (closed March 31, 2026, per T-Mobile's March 26 announcement) and the 2026 HQ Grants Digital Access cycle (deadline July 31, awards announced October 9).
Our reading: if you were planning a Hometown Grants proposal, don't wait for a sixth year. T-Mobile's September 29 story says the program "may be ending," its June release calls the 26 awards the "final" recipients, and the company hasn't announced a successor. Put that proposal to work elsewhere (see the alternatives section).
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How the T-Mobile Hometown Grants program worked
T-Mobile launched Hometown Grants in April 2021 with a 5-year commitment to put $25 million into 500 rural towns, according to the Hometown Grants program page. The rules below come from the FAQ still posted on that page on November 6, 2026. They no longer apply to anyone, but they're a good template, because several open programs ask for nearly the same package.
| Rule | What the Hometown Grants FAQ said |
|---|---|
| Town size | Population under 50,000 |
| Applicants | Elected officials, town managers and employees, tribal leaders, nonprofit community leaders |
| Legal recipient | 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6) nonprofit, or a local government entity; no for-profit businesses |
| Grant size | Up to $50,000 per town |
| Project type | Shovel-ready physical builds or improvements, finished within 12 months of funding |
| Proposal | 3 to 5 pages: scope, need, who benefits, how impact will be measured, budget, permits, contractors |
| Support letters | Up to 5, from local government or community groups |
| Match | Not required; if the project costs more than $50,000, name the other funding |
| Not fundable | Engineering or architectural plans or fees, salaries, operating costs, already-finished projects |
| Selection | Scored with Main Street America on need, impact, partners, feasibility and fit with T-Mobile's small-town strategy |
| Timing | Awards made quarterly; decisions within 60 days after a quarter closed |
| Reporting | Status updates at 6 and 12 months |
The FAQ's own examples of eligible work were old and historic buildings turned into gathering spaces, park and trail improvements, and technology for the public library. That's why the winners list reads like a Main Street agenda: downtown plazas, theaters, playgrounds, library upgrades and community centers.
The common mistake in this kind of program is treating "up to $50,000" as the likely award. The award map on the program page shows plenty of grants below the cap. North Carolina's 24 awards averaged about $35,900 and Maryland's 5 averaged about $35,600, so a budget that only works at exactly $50,000 was a weaker bet.
Who actually got T-Mobile Hometown Grants
T-Mobile's June 25, 2026 announcement puts the final count at more than $22.8 million for 500 projects in 49 states and Puerto Rico. The interactive map on the program page lists awards by state; on November 6, 2026 it showed 473 awards totaling $21,542,816, which suggests the map stops before the June 2026 round. Grantsights added up the map's state figures. Alaska is the one state the map shows with no award.
| State | Awards on the map | Total on the map | Average per award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 25 | $1,122,690 | $44,908 |
| California | 20 | $968,287 | $48,414 |
| Texas | 19 | $868,187 | $45,694 |
| North Carolina | 24 | $861,801 | $35,908 |
| Illinois | 19 | $846,856 | $44,571 |
| Alabama | 16 | $843,050 | $52,691 |
| Washington | 17 | $799,898 | $47,053 |
| Mississippi | 16 | $786,294 | $49,143 |
| Oregon | 18 | $758,040 | $42,113 |
| Georgia | 15 | $749,174 | $49,945 |
| All 50 jurisdictions on the map | 473 | $21,542,816 | $45,545 |
Alabama's average sits above the $50,000 cap even though the map lists 16 towns for 16 awards, and the map doesn't explain why. Hawaii, North Dakota, South Dakota and Puerto Rico each show a single $50,000 award.
The towns themselves fit the brief. Pennsylvania's list includes Lock Haven, Meadville, Kutztown and Hatboro Borough; Texas includes Brackettville, Sabinal and South Padre Island; Montana includes Absarokee, Choteau and White Sulphur Springs. For example, Pennsylvania received 25 awards totaling $1,122,690 on the map, more than any other state.
The last two rounds show what won at the end:
- March 26, 2026 round (25 towns): a Route 66 drive-through arch in Needles, Calif.; a 1939 theater's sound and lighting in Eureka, Calif.; a poured-rubber playground surface in Henderson, Ky.; a generator and water-filling station at the Charlotte, Vt. public library; and the program's first North Dakota award, in Mandan.
- June 25, 2026 final round (26 towns): a first public playground in Marion, Miss.; a downtown alley turned pedestrian corridor in Eagle Pass, Texas; a library STEM space in Washington, Ind.; hurricane-rated bus shelters in Key West, Fla.; and a permanent outdoor music venue in Galax, Va.
According to T-Mobile's September 29, 2026 newsroom story, the program also drew nearly $126 million in matching funds from other sources, and 75% of projects were complete by then. Those are T-Mobile's own figures, not independently checked.
Where the T-Mobile USA Foundation's money goes
The T-Mobile USA Foundation (EIN 46-1629033, Bellevue, Wash.) files a Form 990-PF each year; ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer lists it under that EIN as a 501(c)(3) private foundation. Grantsights analysis of the foundation's 990-PF grants, pulled November 5, 2026, shows that it isn't where Hometown money is reported.
| Tax year | Grants as filed | Total as filed | Employee giving left out | Grants kept | Total kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | $7,456,480 | 1 grant, $7,206,980 | 3 | $249,500 (median $46,000) |
| 2023 | 11 | $7,582,925 | 9 grants, $6,661,629 | 2 | $921,296 |
Per the 2024 return, 96.7% of the foundation's grant dollars went to a single employee matching gift and Volun-T payment. What's left is short:
- 2024: Boys & Girls Clubs of America (Atlanta) received $175,000 for the foundation's "P10M partnership," Children's Foundation (Detroit) received $46,000, and American Red Cross received $28,500 for general support.
- 2023: Ashoka Youth Venture (Arlington, Va.) received $911,296 for the "Changemaker program," and the University of Washington received $10,000.
For example, Boys & Girls Clubs of America received $175,000 in tax year 2024 tied to Project 10Million, the student connectivity program. None of those 5 grants is a Hometown Grants award, and the 990-PF profile marks the foundation's giving as going to preselected organizations only. T-Mobile's community page says the foundation funds Magenta Match, which matches employee donations and pays $15 per volunteer hour, up to $2,000 a year per employee. That's employee giving, not a grant door for your town.
The honest read: writing to the foundation with a town project isn't a real route.
What T-Mobile's Hometown Grants pages don't tell you
Grantsights checked the Hometown Grants page against T-Mobile's three 2026 newsroom posts and the state map. Five things are easy to miss:
The program page is out of date. On November 6, 2026, it still said "Final grants will be announced on June 26" and that "the last 25 towns" would be named, with no year. The newsroom announced 26 towns on June 25. Read the newsroom, not the brand page, for status.
The apply link loops back. The t-mobile.com/HometownGrants address, which the FAQ still tells you to use, redirected to the information page with no form when Grantsights tested it. Third-party grant listings that still show a 2026 deadline are wrong; treat any listing that tells you to apply as a red flag.
The final round was very hard to win. T-Mobile's June 25 release says the final round drew more than 2,000 applications for 26 grants, a success rate of roughly 1.3% or lower. Earlier rounds didn't publish application counts, so it's easy to underestimate how crowded the program got near the end.
The headline total and the map don't match. The program page promised $25 million; T-Mobile reports $22.8 million delivered; the map adds up to $21.5 million. All three can be true at different moments, but don't cite a single figure without its source and date.
Main Street America scored the applications. T-Mobile's FAQ says it partnered with Main Street America on the selection panel, and both towns quoted in T-Mobile's September story, Russellville and Ponca City, Okla., credit their local Main Street programs. Towns with an active Main Street organization had a ready-made partner for letters of support and project plans, and that kind of local capacity still helps with every alternative below.
How to apply for T-Mobile money now
With Hometown Grants closed, 1 T-Mobile program takes open applications from organizations, and only in two metro areas. Here's how HQ Grants works, according to the HQ Grants page checked November 6, 2026:
- Check your county. You must serve King, Snohomish or Pierce County in Washington, or Jackson, Platte, Cass, Clay, Johnson or Wyandotte County around Kansas City. Small towns outside those counties can't apply.
- Match a focus area. The priority is digital access: connectivity, internet literacy and safety, and career paths in tech. T-Mobile targets about 20% of the budget to housing and support for people experiencing homelessness.
- Confirm the basics. U.S. 501(c)(3) in good standing; no endowments, private foundations, lobbying or religious-purpose requests; event sponsorships aren't considered. Programming and general operations requests are preferred.
- Watch for the 2027 calendar. In 2026 applications opened in February, with information sessions on March 11 and March 26, a housing deadline of April 30 and a digital access deadline of July 31. Dates for 2027 weren't posted on November 6, 2026.
- Prepare offline first. The page says the form can't be saved and resumed, has character limits, and needs a line-item budget on T-Mobile's template. Preview the questions, draft them in a document, then submit in one sitting.
- After an award, sign the agreement by DocuSign; payment follows, and an end-of-year evaluation is required.
The page also says ratings on Charity Navigator and Candid are considered, so update your Candid profile before you apply.
For a school, Friday Night 5G Lights is a contest rather than a grant: over 2,400 schools applied in 2026, 40 became finalists and 4 reached the final vote. It's worth watching for the next season, but don't build a capital budget around it.
What to apply for instead of a Hometown Grant
At least 4 kinds of open funding pay for the same projects Hometown Grants did: playgrounds, downtown spaces, library technology and community buildings in small towns. Start with these.
State CDBG. According to HUD's CDBG program page (opens in a new tab), principal cities of metro areas and other metropolitan cities of at least 50,000 get CDBG money directly, while 49 states and Puerto Rico run a State CDBG Program that awards grants only to non-entitlement local governments. That's close to the Hometown Grants population: most towns under 50,000 apply through their state, not to HUD. Our Community Development Block Grant guide explains how state cycles work, and federal grants for local governments covers the rest of the federal menu.
NEA creative placemaking. According to NEA's Our Town page (opens in a new tab), Our Town supports projects that bring arts, culture and design into place-based community work, and applicants now apply through the Design & Our Town discipline of Grants for Arts Projects. Murals, plazas and theater upgrades from the Hometown winners list fit here. See also grants for public art programs.
USDA Rural Development. Rural towns can look at Community Facilities and other USDA programs for buildings and equipment; our USDA Rural Development grants guide walks through them.
Other corporate and foundation money. Your community foundation is often the most reliable local funder for a park or library project (community foundation grants guide). For more company programs, start with corporate grants for nonprofits; for a town theater or library tech project, see grants for historic theaters and the broadband grants guide.
By project type:
- Playground or park: grants for playgrounds and grants for trail organizations
- Downtown revitalization: grants for Main Street programs and grants for historic preservation
- Library tech or community center: grants for libraries and grants for community centers
- Rural nonprofits generally: best grants for rural nonprofits in 2026
- School fields and equipment: grants for school athletics
Private foundations also fund this work. Grantsights sorts foundations by cause and state from their own 990-PF filings; the community development funder list shows a free preview for your state, and the grant search covers open public programs.
Reusing a Hometown Grants proposal: a 5-point check
A finished Hometown Grants proposal had 3 to 5 pages, a budget, a 12-month timeline and up to 5 support letters. That's most of what the alternatives ask for. Before you send it anywhere else, check these points:
- Population. Confirm your current figure in the Census Bureau's city and town population totals (opens in a new tab), which have Vintage 2025 estimates for incorporated places. State CDBG and USDA programs use their own population rules, so check each one.
- Applicant type. Hometown Grants accepted 501(c)(6) groups such as chambers and business associations. CDBG goes to local governments, and most foundations want a 501(c)(3), so you may need a partner to apply.
- Design costs. T-Mobile wouldn't pay for engineering or architectural plans. Ask the next funder whether it will; if not, fund the design from another source before you apply.
- Match. Hometown Grants needed no match. Many public programs ask for a cost share, so read each notice and line up the match before the deadline, not after.
- Timeline. A 12-month build window was tight. Check each program's award date and project period, then recheck your construction season against it.
How Grantsights Checked This Guide
Grantsights checked every status, amount and rule in this guide on the source below on November 6, 2026, except the foundation grants, which come from the 990-PF snapshot pulled November 5, 2026.
| What | Source | What we confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Hometown Grants rules and status | T-Mobile Hometown Grants page (opens in a new tab) | Eligibility, $50,000 cap, FAQ rules; page still says final grants "June 26"; apply address redirects here |
| Award totals by state | State map data on the same page | 473 awards, $21,542,816, 49 states and Puerto Rico |
| Final round | June 25, 2026 newsroom release (opens in a new tab) | 26 final recipients, $22.8 million, 500 projects, 2,000+ applications |
| Second-to-last round | March 26, 2026 newsroom release (opens in a new tab) | 25 recipients, $21.5 million to 475 towns, March 31 last deadline |
| Program wrap-up | September 29, 2026 newsroom story (opens in a new tab) | Program ending, 75% of projects complete, matching funds |
| HQ Grants | HQ Grants page (opens in a new tab) | Counties, 2026 dates, $25,000 to $50,000 typical size |
| Other T-Mobile programs | Community page (opens in a new tab), Friday Night 5G Lights (opens in a new tab), Project 10Million (opens in a new tab) | Magenta Match, Volun-T, contest prizes and stage, student eligibility |
| Foundation grants | Grantsights 990-PF snapshot; ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (opens in a new tab) | EIN 46-1629033, 2023 and 2024 grants, employee-giving exclusion |
| Alternatives | HUD CDBG (opens in a new tab), NEA Our Town (opens in a new tab), Census city and town totals (opens in a new tab) | State CDBG structure, Our Town application route, population data |
Related Guides
- Corporate grants for nonprofits
- Community foundation grants guide
- Federal grants for local governments
- Grants for Main Street programs
- Best grants for rural nonprofits in 2026
Sources
- T-Mobile, Hometown Grants program page and state award map: https://www.t-mobile.com/brand/hometown-grants (checked November 6, 2026)
- T-Mobile Newsroom, final Hometown Grants recipients, June 25, 2026: https://www.t-mobile.com/news/un-carrier/t-mobile-completes-landmark-hometown-grants-initiative-transforming-500-communities
- T-Mobile Newsroom, second-to-last Hometown Grants round, March 26, 2026: https://www.t-mobile.com/news/un-carrier/t-mobiles-hometown-grants-top-21-5m
- T-Mobile Newsroom, five-year program story, September 29, 2026: https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/the-story-of-t-mobiles-hometown-grants
- T-Mobile, HQ Grants: https://www.t-mobile.com/responsibility/community/hq-grants
- T-Mobile, Our Communities page: https://www.t-mobile.com/responsibility/community
- T-Mobile, Friday Night 5G Lights: https://www.t-mobile.com/brand/friday-night-5g-lights
- T-Mobile, Project 10Million: https://www.t-mobile.com/brand/project-10-million
- T-Mobile USA Foundation, Form 990-PF grant lists, tax years 2023 and 2024 (Grantsights snapshot pulled November 5, 2026); filer record on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/461629033
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Community Development Block Grant Program (opens in a new tab)
- National Endowment for the Arts, Our Town (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Census Bureau, City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2025 (opens in a new tab)
Frequently Asked Questions
Are T-Mobile Hometown Grants still open in 2026?
No. T-Mobile announced the final 26 Hometown Grants recipients on June 25, 2026, and a September 29, 2026 newsroom story says the program is ending. The last application window closed March 31, 2026. On November 6, 2026, the t-mobile.com/HometownGrants application address redirected to the program's information page, which has no application form. No new round has been announced.
How much did a T-Mobile Hometown Grant pay?
Up to $50,000 per town, for one shovel-ready project finished within 12 months. According to T-Mobile's June 25, 2026 announcement, the program invested more than $22.8 million in 500 projects across 49 states and Puerto Rico. The state map on the program page lists 473 awards totaling $21,542,816, an average of about $45,500 per award.
Who was eligible for T-Mobile Hometown Grants?
Towns with fewer than 50,000 people in the U.S. or Puerto Rico. Elected officials, town managers and employees, tribal leaders and nonprofit community leaders could apply. The program page says it was open to 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(6) nonprofits and local government entities, and that for-profit businesses could not receive funds.
What T-Mobile grants can an organization apply for now?
The main one is T-Mobile HQ Grants, which funds 501(c)(3) nonprofits in named counties around Seattle and Kansas City, with a typical grant of $25,000 to $50,000 a year. Its 2026 deadlines were April 30 (housing and homelessness) and July 31 (digital access), so it's closed until T-Mobile posts 2027 dates. Friday Night 5G Lights is a high school football contest whose 2026 applications have closed.
When were the T-Mobile Hometown Grants deadlines?
Recipients were chosen quarterly, and T-Mobile said it would contact applicants within 60 days after a quarter's entries closed. The last deadline was March 31, 2026, per T-Mobile's March 26, 2026 announcement, and the final winners were named June 25, 2026. There's no future Hometown Grants deadline.
Is T-Mobile Hometown Grants the same as the T-Mobile Foundation?
No. Hometown Grants was presented as a T-Mobile company program run with Main Street America. The T-Mobile USA Foundation (EIN 46-1629033) files its own Form 990-PF; its 2024 return lists 4 grants totaling $7,456,480, almost all of it employee matching and volunteer grants, and none of its 2023 or 2024 grants went to a Hometown Grants town project.
Last updated November 6, 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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