Un-carrierCategoryPress Release

T-Mobile Gives More Than $1 Million in Funding to 25 Small Towns Across the Country

March 24, 2022

T-Mobile unveils the next 25 Hometown Grant recipients

BELLEVUE, Wash. — March 24, 2022 — Last April, T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) announced T-Mobile Hometown Grants, a $25 million, five-year initiative to support the people and organizations who help small towns across America thrive and grow by providing funding to kickstart important new community development projects. Hometown Grants are given every quarter to up to 25 small towns. Today, we’re excited to announce the next group of 25 Hometown Grant winners:

  • Fairfield, Ala.: Repair the swimming pool in the Jerry D. Coleman Community Center which will make it accessible to the entire community; establish a new swim team for our youth and provide water aerobics for our senior citizens.
  • Northport, Ala.: Connect visitors and businesses to the history and charm of Downtown Northport with a modern public access Wi-Fi network.
  • Selma, Ala.: Redevelopment and activation of Selma's Riverfront Park & Amphitheater Area –– one of the city's most significant parks overlooking the Alabama River and the iconic Edmund Pettus Bridge.
  • King City, Calif.: Renovate and remodel a downtown building to serve as a future visitor center and small local history museum and archive.
  • Lake Wales, Fla.: Enhance Downtown Linear Park to create a welcoming public gathering space with trees and Florida friendly plants.
  • Kunia Village, Hawaii: Upgrade the seventy-five-year-old electrical system of the Kunia Village community center/gymnasiums.
  • Rexburg, Idaho: Create a dynamic performing arts venue in the heart of downtown with an outdoor stage, concert lighting and surround sound speaker system.
  • Rock Island, Ill.: Install field lighting for youth baseball diamond and multi-purpose field to complete renovation of historic Douglas Park to provide recreation and sports opportunities for the community.
  • DeKalb, Ill.: Fund public art projects to enhance community spirit and promote local arts and culture.
  • Fairfield, Iowa: Fund the next three slab foundations for the Greater Fairfield Area Habitat for Humanity neighborhood on North 12th Street in Fairfield, Iowa.
  • Cambridge, Md.: Fund computers for the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Intergenerational Center that will serve senior citizens, children, individuals with disabilities and residents of the town.
  • Owatonna, Minn.: Create a new Makerspace and Teen Space at the Owatonna Public Library.
  • Mendenhall, Miss.: Pave a walking trail at Mendenhall Sports Plex and install four pieces of gym equipment to provide a low-impact aerobic workout for the citizens of the community to reduce rates of obesity and chronic diseases.
  • Taos, N.M.: Revitalize the Taos Center for the Arts’ Gallery courtyard into a multi-factional space that improves access and directs water run-off away from the Gallery into a dry riverbed feature.
  • Village of Potsdam, N.Y.: Develop and construct an open pavilion adjacent to Ives Park.
  • Town of Poughkeepsie, N.Y.: Convert one of the existing baseball fields into a softball field to better accommodate the Town of Poughkeepsie Girls Little League Softball program.
  • Kings Mountain, N.C.: Create ADA access points into the garden/program area making the garden open to the public (it is currently a demonstration garden only), a garden shed and a pavilion for programs and activities.
  • Ponca City, Okla.: Acquire and operate a synthetic ice rink in downtown Ponca City, with funds raised to support other Ponca City Main Street initiatives, increase tourism, and create community connection.  
  • Borough of Hatboro, Pa.: Improve the town’s Central Plaza with seating, lighting, new sidewalks and information to improve the pedestrian amenities in the area.
  • Kutztown, Pa.: Build an outdoor fitness court that will be part art gallery, part outdoor gym and point of pride for the community.
  • Hearne, Texas: Renovate the Smith-Welch Memorial Library with interior updates of the public library facility, including a new floor plan, furniture, flooring and more.
  • Los Fresnos, Texas: Build a permanent covered stage and paved roadway at the Rodeo grounds that will help bring more concerts and other events to the community.
  • Robstown, Texas: Enhance local park that will include building the first concrete walking trail with a lighted path to provide an easily accessible, healthy outdoor activity for the community.
  • Kingwood, W. Va.: Create a nature-themed playground along the West Virginia Northern Rail-Trail to encourage outdoor play.
  • Village of Kimberly, Wis.: Revitalize downtown corridor and preserve the hometown atmosphere by adding planter boxes and planting flowers and shrubs.

“Since we launched T-Mobile Hometown in April 2021, the Un-carrier has given more than $3.3 million to support projects that are strengthening economic opportunity in small towns in 35 states and it’s been amazing to see how local leaders and businesses are using these funds to transform their communities,” said Jon Freier, President, Consumer Group at T-Mobile. “Today, we’re honored to add another 25 small towns to the list of communities we support, and we look forward to announcing 25 more every quarter through 2026.”

Towns across America with a population of fewer than 50,000 people are eligible for Hometown Grants. Every small town with a vision for how to make their community even stronger than it is today is encouraged to apply.

To select Hometown Grant recipients, T-Mobile works with Main Street America and Smart Growth America, two organizations that have decades of experience helping build stronger, more prosperous small towns and rural communities. Together, they assess applications from small towns based on level of detail and completeness, potential community impact, project viability and other factors.

"The T-Mobile Hometown Grants provided to these communities represent a commitment to investing in historic assets, community gathering places, and the expansion of facilities and technologies for residents,” said Smart Growth America’s President and CEO Calvin Gladney. “Smart Growth America applauds these efforts as we continue to support scores of towns and cities in rural places."

“We’re proud to work with T-Mobile and Smart Growth America to support these innovative projects in rural communities across the country” said Main Street America’s President and CEO Patrice Frey. “These grant recipients represent the creativity and passion for place we’ve long seen in Main Street communities, and we are excited to see how the projects positively impact these areas in the coming years.”

Commitment to Rural America
Hometown Grants are part of the Un-carrier’s massive 5-year commitment announced in April 2021 to bring 5G to rural America, open hundreds of new stores and support economic development in small towns by providing $25 million in funding. In addition, the Un-carrier unleashed T-Mobile Home Internet, a new broadband service available to more than 10 million rural households across the country.

It’s all part of our goal to ensure all Americans — from big cities to small towns and rural communities across the U.S. — have access to all the latest products, services and technology.

For full details on how to submit a proposal for Hometown Grants, visit https://www.t-mobile.com/brand/hometown-grants.

For more information on past Hometown Grant recipients, visit the T-Mobile Newsroom 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 U.S. 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 $89.57 billion in new public and private investment, generated 687,321 net new jobs and 154,435 net new businesses, and rehabilitated more than 303,836 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/.