Helping libraries and communities stay connected.

The foundation made Staying Connected grants to 37 states and the District of Columbia to help them maintain Internet access in their poorest communities. States receiving grants matched the $10.9 million investment with more than $7 million in public and private funds. This marked the second and final round of Staying Connected grants; the foundation made $5.8 million in grants to 18 states in 2003. Melinda French Gates traveled to West Virginia to announce the grants and hold up the state as a national model of library support. She was joined by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, Gov. Bob Wise, and other state leaders.