The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for up to $22 million in grants to provide technical assistance to communities looking for funding through the Thriving Communities Program (TCP).
The TCP provides technical assistance to under-resourced and disadvantaged communities to help them identify, develop, and deliver transportation and community revitalization opportunities.
“No one understands a community’s unique transportation needs better than the people who actually live there—yet many small communities don’t have the resources or capacity to secure the funding for infrastructure projects,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The Thriving Communities Program is all about empowering communities to better access federal dollars so they can realize their own visions for better infrastructure and transportation.”
The USDOT has added a Thriving Communities Regional Pilot Program set-aside to which states, Tribes, and regional planning organizations can apply for the Fiscal Year 2023 program. This set-aside will allow pilot program participants to provide TCP activities at a state or regional scale to communities within their jurisdictions. USDOT anticipates funding at least four pilots at approximately $1 million each this year.
The USDOT also anticipates funding at least three National TCP Capacity Builder Program teams, at approximately $5 million each.
“The regional approach offered under TCP is an excellent complement to the other capacity building opportunities offered by the Build America Bureau,” said USDOT’s Build America Bureau Executive Director Morteza Farajian. “Building capacity at the local level and creating peer exchanges will help communities leverage every resource possible to advance their projects using innovative solutions.”
The call for Letters of Interest (LOI) is open until November 15, and the NOFO for Capacity Builders is open until November 28.
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Source: USDOT
