Jane Hutt MS, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip
To be digitally confident is essential in today’s society. Whether it is to access employment, health and care, public services, financial services or to maintain connections with friends and family. For those people who lack digital confidence there is a greater risk of experiencing inequity.
Digital Inclusion Wales (DIW), the new Welsh Government approach to digital inclusion, which I launched in May 2025, consists of two strands. A national procured programme, delivered by Cwmpas, providing a nationally coordinated, bilingual advice and support service that strengthens digital inclusion across Wales and Welsh Government multi-year funding for a locally developed and delivered grant projects. Both strands are managed and funded by Welsh Government.
Feedback from stakeholder engagement when designing the new digital inclusion programme for Wales showed that there was a gap in locally developed and delivered projects, tailored to meet local needs. This new multi-year grant is designed to fill this gap by supporting projects that help people overcome barriers to using digital technology and services.
The grant aims to ensure that everyone in Wales can access and benefit from digital technology, should they choose to do so. In doing so we will further our ambition for everyone in Wales to meet the minimum digital living standard, which in turn will ensure no one is left behind in an increasing digitalised world.
I am pleased to inform members that the Digital Inclusion Wales (DIW) Grant was officially launched on gov.wales on Monday 17 November 2025.
The Grant consists of two strands:-
- Core Grant providing up to three years support for locally developed and delivered projects, helping organisations embed digital inclusion into everyday life. Around £390,000 will be available each financial year, with typical awards of about £43,500;
- Innovation Grant funds shorter-term projects that test new and creative approaches to supporting people using digital technology. With a total of £60,000 available per annum, awards are anticipated to be each around £15,000. These projects will run for up to twelve months.
The Grant is open to all sectors, including community groups, social enterprises, third sector organisations, faith groups, and public and private bodies.
To ensure lasting impact and continuous improvement, all projects funded through the Grant will be required to capture lessons learned and outcomes through detailed case studies. These case studies will highlight effective approaches, challenges overcome, and the ways in which digital inclusion has been embedded throughout project delivery, supporting the longevity and sustainability of digital inclusion across Wales and will be made available on gov.wales.
The application window will close on 9 February 2026, with successful projects commencing from 1 April 2026.
For more information and to apply for the Digital Inclusion Wales (DIW) Grant visit Digital Inclusion Wales (grant).
If you have any queries, please email DigitalInclusionMailbox@gov.wales.