ALTOONA, IOWA—Last week, the nearly $300 million Facebook data center campus under construction in Altoona, Iowa, announced an initiative that would help spur further community growth and engagement in the area.
Facebook’s Community Action Grant program is targeted toward “nonprofits that meet critical community needs and that promote connection, sharing, economic development and improve the overall vitality of Altoona and surrounding communities,” according to its site.
“Facebook is committed to playing a positive role in the communities in which we operate,” said Brice Towns, Altoona data center site manager, in a press release. “While we work globally, nothing changes the fact that we live locally and want to harness our success to help strengthen our own communities.”
Qualifying groups can apply now through Dec. 15 to receive up to a $15,000 grant, which will be awarded in February 2015.
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While Altoona 1, Facebook’s first Altoona data center, likely won’t start servicing traffic until early 2015, the data center is expected to operate using 100 percent renewable energy, largely through a partnership with Iowa wind project developer RPM Access and MidAmerican Energy.
The Altoona location will be Facebook’s fourth owned and operated data center—the others are in Prineville, Ore.; Forest City, N.C.; and Luleå, Sweden.
To learn more about the program and its specifications, visit the Community Action Grant’s Facebook page.