Eligible Expenditures
For all grant priorities (Priorities 1, 2, and 3), funds used for replacement or upgrading must be spent only on “Eligible Expenditures.”
Eligible expenditures are defined by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to include the following:
- Complete public access computer (PAC) systems (including CPUs, monitors, keyboards and mice). Laptops are permissible purchases but only if they are dedicated public access machines, available to the public during all open hours of the library facility.
- Individual components for upgrade (hard drives, additional memory, video, networking, or other cards) of existing machines
- Software for the PACs (new or existing)
- Support services purchased for the computers, such as extended warranty / technical support and replacement services purchased from the original equipment manufacturer or other support vendor
- Installation and configuration / customization of security settings of the PACs to ensure long-term sustainability (e.g., the purchase, installation, or configuration of PAC software or hardware security solutions)
Ineligible expenditures are defined by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to include the following:
- Purchase, replacement and/or upgrading of staff computers
- Infrastructure, networking or peripheral equipment (e.g., furnishings, network cabling, electrical wiring, switches, firewalls, or printers).
(Note that local or other available funds must be used for these purposes.)