WASHINGTON — The U.S. Division of Transportation (DOT) launched a Discover of Funding Alternative (NOFO) for as much as $22 million in grants to supply technical help and a Name for Letters of Curiosity from communities searching for assist by means of the Thriving Communities Program. The Biden–Harris Administration launched this system in 2022 to arrange state, native, Tribal and territorial governments to raised entry historic ranges of federal funding for initiatives of their communities. Earlier this yr, DOT introduced that 4 Capability Builder groups obtained $21.15 million to supply technical help to 64 communities.

The Thriving Communities Program (TCP) gives intensive technical help to under-resourced and deprived communities to assist them establish, develop, and ship transportation and neighborhood revitalization alternatives. These communities obtain in-kind assist from Capability Builders funded by means of the TCP to arrange grant software supplies and undertake pre-development and mission supply actions together with deploying progressive neighborhood engagement, workforce growth, and clear know-how methods. There isn’t any price for communities to obtain assist by means of this system.

“Nobody understands a neighborhood’s distinctive transportation wants higher than the individuals who really dwell there—but many small communities don’t have the sources or capability to safe the funding for infrastructure initiatives,” mentioned U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The Thriving Communities Program is all about empowering communities to raised entry federal {dollars} to allow them to understand their very own visions for higher infrastructure and transportation.”

For the FY 2023 program, DOT has added a Thriving Communities Regional Pilot Program set-aside to which states, Tribes, and regional planning organizations can apply. This set-aside will enable pilot program members to supply TCP actions at a state or regional scale to communities inside their jurisdictions. This yr, DOT anticipates funding no less than 4 pilots at roughly $1 million every.

DOT additionally anticipates funding no less than three Nationwide TCP Capability Builder Program groups, at roughly $5 million every, to collectively assist roughly 50 communities which are chosen and assigned by DOT into certainly one of three “Communities of Apply” primarily based on their distinctive technical help wants. The TCP will prioritize these communities working to advance initiatives to enhance well being outcomes; cut back housing and transportation prices; protect or broaden jobs and enhance dependable mobility choices for deprived households to raised entry well being care, meals, training, and different important locations.

“The regional method supplied beneath TCP is a superb complement to the opposite capability constructing alternatives supplied by the Construct America Bureau,” mentioned DOT’s Construct America Bureau Govt Director Morteza Farajian. “Constructing capability on the native degree and creating peer exchanges will assist communities leverage each useful resource potential to advance their initiatives utilizing progressive options.”

The name for Letters of Curiosity (LOI) from communities searching for assist from this system is open till November 15, whereas the NOFO for Capability Builders is open till November 28. The NOFO will present funding for organizations to supply technical help, planning and capability constructing assist to recipients beneath the Thriving Communities Program. Capability Builders are inspired to use as a crew and should embody non-profits, philanthropic organizations, and different certified technical help suppliers together with tutorial and for-profit organizations.

Extra data on easy methods to submit a LOI to take part within the Thriving Communities program will be discovered right here.

Thriving Communities follows by means of on the dedication by the Biden–Harris Administration to make sure that all communities have an equal alternative to profit from federal infrastructure funding. DOT’s technical help is a part of the Thriving Communities Community, an interagency initiative among the many Departments of Transportation, Housing and City Growth, Vitality, Commerce, and Agriculture, in addition to the Normal Companies Administration, FEMA, and the Environmental Safety Company. This week the White Home is publishing an up to date information to federal technical help sources and convening TCN capability builders and philanthropic companions working to make sure all elements of nation, particularly under-resourced communities, have the capability to entry the historic funding offered by means of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Regulation and the Inflation Discount Act.

DOT will host a collection of webinars to supply extra data each to communities and capability builders. Extra data on the collection will be discovered right here. DOT anticipates asserting recipients in early 2024.

The TCP is certainly one of a number of instruments being offered by DOT to make sure each neighborhood has an equal alternative to entry federal transportation funding and financing to ship transformative infrastructure initiatives. Further technical help sources will be discovered on the DOT Navigator at www.transportation.gov/dot-navigator.

Courtesy of the U.S. Division of Transportation.