Last week, NDIA was proud to name 58 local governments as 2025 Digital Inclusion Trailblazers, recognizing their critical efforts to close the digital divide.
Representing 25 states, this year’s pool of applicants is one of the largest for new Trailblazers, and demonstrates the ongoing importance of municipal, county, and regional governments in bringing digital opportunities to their residents.
“Having the City of Charlotte recognized as a Digital Trailblazer by NDIA is rewarding, and as one of the fastest-growing cities we know collaboration is key to closing the digital divide” says Jamar Davis, the Smart Charlotte Program Lead for the City of Charlotte.“Our leadership and community-partners are committed to improving quality of life for all residents – to us, that’s what success means.” Charlotte was recognized as Trailblazer for the first time in 2025.
NDIA’s Digital Inclusion Trailblazers has set the national standard for excellent digital inclusion work since 2016. Each applicant’s materials are verified for accuracy, assessed for community impact, and posted in an interactive map and searchable database on NDIA’s website. With open sourcing, NDIA provides community advocates and local governments ways to continue learning, connect with trailblazing peers, and design their own digital inclusion solutions.
We have created a free and open inventory containing almost 900 materials that Trailblazers submitted this year. Those resources include job descriptions, digital inclusion program information, advocacy materials, local digital equity plans, and more from local governments paving the way for digital equity for their residents.
NDIA will recognize our 2025 cohort of Digital Inclusion Trailblazers in person this February at Net Inclusionconference in Chicago, IL.
See the full list here and learn more about the Trailblazer program and start planning your application for next year. Stay tuned with our community and join NDIAtoday.