Meta just opened applications for its 2026 Data Center Community Action Grants, expanding the program to seven new cities where it's building data centers. The program provides direct funding to schools, nonprofits, and community organizations, with over $74 million distributed globally since 2011. Applications close November 21, targeting STEM education and workforce development in these growing tech hubs.
Meta is quietly reshaping America's educational landscape one data center at a time. The company just opened applications for its 2026 Community Action Grants program, expanding to seven new cities where its latest data centers are taking root: Aiken, South Carolina; Bowling Green, Ohio; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Jeffersonville, Indiana; Montgomery, Alabama; Richland Parish, Louisiana; and Rosemount, Minnesota.
This isn't just corporate goodwill - it's strategic community investment that comes as Meta races to build the infrastructure needed for its AI ambitions. Since 2011, the company has distributed over $74 million globally to data center communities, with $24 million flowing through this specific grants program that targets schools, nonprofits, and community organizations.
The timing aligns with Meta's commitment to the White House AI Youth Education Pledge, positioning the company as a key player in America's AI education strategy. Applications close November 21, giving local organizations just over a week to prepare their proposals.
The results speak to Meta's long-term thinking about community relations. In DeKalb, Illinois, where Meta broke ground on a data center in 2020, the Northern Illinois University Foundation has received three consecutive grants. The latest funding helped launch Huskie Engineering camps that have already put 65 middle schoolers through sensor coursework and 40 through data and AI programs. "Meta's investments have already made a significant impact on our community and will continue to for years to come," Sam Guerrero, Director of Advancement at NIU Foundation, told Meta's community team.
The scale becomes clear when you look at Meta's track record across its data center footprint. In Los Lunas, New Mexico, where the company has invested over $2.5 billion in infrastructure, grants have supported more than 210 projects since 2019. Belen Consolidated Schools just received its sixth consecutive grant, using the funding to build a new STEM Center equipped with drones, 3D printers, and coding kits.
But it's the focus on at-risk youth that reveals Meta's broader strategy. In Fort Worth, Texas - home to Meta's first Texas data center - the Maroon 9 Community Enrichment Organization received its third grant to run STEM digital media camps. "The grant we received from Meta allowed us to introduce digital media and STEM skills to students - we showed students that innovation can be a pathway away from violence and toward empowerment," Executive Director ShaVonne Davis explained in .
