Charitable Giving — Mission

FairPoint is passionate about improving the quality of life in the communities we serve. We are committed to expanding high-speed Internet access throughout our areas so as to allow our customers and communities to better connect to each other as well as to improved services, global information and worldwide opportunities.

We believe our investments in advanced broadband technology, related philanthropic support and employee volunteerism hold great promise for strengthening our communities through digital enrichment. That is why FairPoint is focusing assets - our financial, physical, intellectual, and human resources - on connecting communities today to tomorrow's possibilities.

Charitable Giving — Focus

FairPoint community giving program has its primary focus on making targeted community investments for improving the quality of life in the communities we serve through effective use of broadband technologies. We will seek to support initiatives that deliver safe and innovative applications of these technologies that can improve the ways our communities connect to information, services, opportunities and each other.

We will be striving to fund programs that:

  • Support shared on-line community resource initiatives that can be replicated by and/or shared across organizations;
  • Stimulate broader digital access to services, programming, and information;
  • Champion collaboration across geographic areas;
  • Promote the powers of innovative and effective use of broadband technologies; or
  • Support informational and technological literacy, cyber-safety and citizenship initiatives.

Eligibility Guidelines

Criteria

Eligibility for program support and sponsorships will be limited to:

  • Tax-exempt organizations in certain 501(c) (3) subs defined by the Internal Revenue Service
  • Eligible tax-exempt organizations must also be based in or serve a FairPoint service area

Grant applications and sponsorship requests will be evaluated for alignment with FairPoint's digital enrichment mission and focus.

Ineligible Purposes

FairPoint will not make donations to the following:

  • Individuals
  • Non-tax exempt organizations
  • National or regional organizations, unless their programs address specific local communities
  • Programs or initiatives where the primary purpose is the promotion of religious tenets
  • Projects of schools that fall under regular school budgets
  • Political campaigns, candidates, causes or organizations; political action or legislature groups
  • Organizations located in or benefiting nations other than the United States
  • General operating expenses or nonspecific projects normally funded by federal governments, and by agencies such as United Way

Application Process

Sponsorship requests and program support proposals can be made electronically via our communityaffairs@fairpoint.com e-mail address and should include the following information:

  • Requester's / organization's name and contact information
  • 501(c)3 designation and code identification number
  • A full project description (including a statement of need, details of the proposed solution, and expected outcomes), short- and long-range goals, project partners, overall budget breakdown, timelines, and critical measures
  • Amounts requested for FairPoint support and from other funding sources, if any
  • An explanation of how the project can be shared and / or replicated

FairPoint looks forward to partnership opportunities that promote and exemplify the powers of innovative and effective use of broadband technologies - with a special focus on promoting informational and technological literacy. We support initiatives that deliver safe and innovative applications of these technologies that can improve the ways our communities connect to information, services, opportunities and each other.