Local governments across Massachusetts are constantly striving to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and better serve their communities. One powerful resource helping municipalities achieve these goals is the Community Compact IT Grant Program, which is a competitive state grant that funds technology investments at the local level.
What Is the Community Compact IT Grant Program?
The Community Compact IT Grant is a state-funded grant initiative designed to help cities and towns invest in innovative technology projects that transform how government functions. Grants support one-time capital needs, including technology infrastructure, software purchases, and related planning, design, installation, and initial training. Municipalities can receive up to $200,000 per project.
The goal of the program is straightforward: boost local government efficiency, modernize public services, and make it easier for residents to interact with the government online. Applications from eligible municipalities will be accepted from January 5, 2026 and closes February 5, 2026 at noon, and awarded projects must be completed within 18 months of the grant award.
Why Digitizing Government Records Matters
Digitizing municipal records directly aligns with the grant program’s goals of improving efficiency, accessibility, and data security. Most towns and cities still manage significant amounts of paper records, whether that is land records, permitting files, business licenses, or historic minutes. These paper-based systems create challenges, such as:
- Risk of loss or damage from fire, flooding, or deterioration
- Difficulty finding and sharing information across departments
- Time-consuming public records requests
- Costs associated with physical storage space
Digitizing these records by converting them into searchable electronic formats, changes everything. It improves access, enhances transparency, protects important data, and empowers staff and residents alike.
How the IT Grant Can Fund Record Digitization
While the grant isn’t specific to digitization, its flexibility means municipalities can absolutely use it to build a digital records program. Here’s how:
1. Purchase a Records Management System
Municipalities have used IT grants to implement modern records management systems (RMS) or document management systems (DMS) that centralize electronic files and index them for easy retrieval. This might include:
- Integrated document storage platforms
- Cloud-based archives with search and access controls
- Records classification and retention tools
Several communities, including North Reading, have successfully secured IT grant funding to implement records management software and move away from paper-first systems.
2. Fund Scanning & Conversion Projects
Digitizing decades of paper requires:
- High-speed scanners
- Indexing software
- Temporary staffing or consultant support for setup
- Training for staff on new workflows
Since the grant covers one-time capital costs and implementation, these expenses can be included, especially when tied directly to a technology project like building a digital records repository.
3. Integrate Records with Broader Systems
Once records are digitized, municipalities can connect them to other systems, such as permitting, code enforcement, GIS platforms, or public portals, creating a true “paperless government ecosystem.” For example:
- Linking scanned files to online permitting systems
- Integrating record data with asset management tools
- Archiving public minutes and historical documents for research access
Communities have used the grant for these kinds of integrated technology initiatives as part of broader digital government modernization.
Success Stories from Across the Commonwealth
The Community Compact IT Grant has already catalyzed record modernization efforts in dozens of Massachusetts communities:
- Agawam built a public document repository and digitized key records.
- Multiple towns and cities have implemented comprehensive records management solutions to centralize data and standardize electronic workflows.
These projects illustrate how technology funding isn’t just about hardware, it’s about fundamentally improving how government serves its residents.
Tips for a Strong Digitization Grant Application
When applying for the Community Compact IT Grant with a digitization focus, it’s critical to clearly communicate both the value of your project and your ability to execute it successfully. This is also where working with an experienced partner like Recordsforce can make a meaningful difference.
✔ Tie Your Project to Clear Impact
Grant reviewers prioritize projects that deliver measurable benefits to the community. Your application should clearly explain how digitizing records will:
- Reduce manual, paper-based inefficiencies
- Improve response times for public records requests
- Enhance transparency and access to information
- Reduce long-term storage and administrative costs
Recordsforce can help municipalities define and articulate these outcomes, ensuring your project narrative aligns with the grant’s goals of efficiency, modernization, and improved public service.
Projects that demonstrate strong, real-world community impact are more competitive.
✔ Break Down Costs Clearly
A detailed, well-structured budget is essential. Your application should clearly outline eligible one-time capital costs, such as:
- Document scanning and digitization services
- Software licensing and system configuration
- Data indexing, metadata creation, and system integration
- Project planning, onboarding, and staff training
Because the Community Compact IT Grant funds one-time expenses only, it’s important to separate implementation costs from ongoing operational or subscription fees. Recordsforce regularly helps municipalities scope projects accurately, ensuring budgets are grant-compliant and realistic from the start.
✔ Demonstrate Implementation Capacity
Grant reviewers want confidence that your municipality can complete the project within the required 18-month timeline. Your application should include:
- A clear project timeline
- Defined roles and responsibilities for staff and vendors
- Key milestones and deliverables
By partnering with Recordsforce, municipalities can reference a proven implementation approach, experienced project managers, and a clear execution roadmap, all of which help demonstrate readiness and reduce perceived project risk.
Why Work With Recordsforce for Your Grant-Funded Digitization Project
Applying for and executing a digitization project doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Recordsforce supports municipalities at every stage of the process, including:
- Pre-application planning to identify eligible digitization initiatives
- Grant application support, including project scoping and documentation
- Professional scanning and digitization of paper records in a SSAE-18 SOC II-audited facility
- Secure document management systems designed for government use
- Compliance-focused workflows aligned with public records requirements
- Ongoing guidance to ensure long-term success beyond the grant period
With extensive experience working with municipal records, Recordsforce understands the operational, compliance, and access challenges local governments face and how to solve them efficiently. Learn more about how Recordsforce helped multiple Vermont municipalities digitize their land records through the CARES Act grant.
Conclusion
The Massachusetts Community Compact IT Grant is a powerful tool for local governments looking to digitize records and modernize operations. With grant awards of up to $200,000 and flexible eligibility for innovative technology projects, municipalities have a significant opportunity to improve service delivery, protect vital information, and build efficient digital systems, all while reducing reliance on paper.
For any city or town planning to go paperless, this grant should be at the top of the strategy list, and partnering with an experienced digitization provider can help ensure your project is both approved and successful.
If you are looking for more information on the IT Grant, take a look at their FAQ page.
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