August 2024 Local Infrastructure Hub Insider

Digest Introduction

Welcome to the Local Infrastructure Hub Insider! 

This monthly digest is your guide to the key information you need to submit competitive grant applications that fully leverage Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act funding and deliver results for your residents.

Take a Closer Look: The City of Philadelphia used Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding from the PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program to upgrade and maintain its physical infrastructure and support workforce and local business development. Stay tuned for the next round of PROTECT funding, expected to be announced later this year!

Upcoming Events

Don’t miss these upcoming events:

🗓️ 8/19 – Get Your Community Connected Online: Join our workshop on the Digital Equity Act designed to guide you through the crucial aspects of this grant opportunity and help you secure the funding your community needs to expand access to high-speed internet. 

🗓️ 9/10 – What Cities Need to Know about Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Financing (GGRF): This webinar will discuss how cities can prepare, prioritize and determine which projects from their Climate Action Plans are a good fit for GGRF funding, including information about where to go if you don’t yet have a climate action plan. 

🗓️ 9/25 – Responsible AI for Federal Grantwriting and Reporting: Join us to discuss how AI can streamline the grant writing process, improve the quality and competitiveness of applications, and free up valuable time for staff to focus on strategic planning and community engagement. 

Call for AI for Grant Writing: Are you using AI to write infrastructure grant proposals? We want to hear your story. The Tech and Innovation Center is looking to connect with LIH participants who are using AI tools like ChatGPT to prepare grant proposals and supporting materials. What’s working? What isn’t? Please share your experience! All responses will be kept confidential.

Grant Application Trainings

💡 Opportunity Spotlight: Register for a Grant Application Training! 

Cities with a population of 150,000 and below are eligible to receive tailored support to apply for the following grants:

• Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities
• Flood Mitigation Assistance
• Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity
• IRA Elective Pay (open to all cities this fall)
• The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund

Win a Digital Equity Grant

Expanding access to the high-speed internet needed to fully participate in today’s digital world is a primary goal for the White House. The Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program provides $1.25 billion to fund programs that ensure communities have the access and skills to fully participate in the digital world, regardless of their background or circumstances. Applications are due September 23, 2024. 

Winning Strategies: Take a look at these strategies for securing funding to close the digital divide in your city.

Webinar Recording and Summary: Watch this webinar where administration officials and city leaders discuss insights for submitting a competitive grant application and implementing strong digital equity programs. 

Tech for Multi-Family Housing: Learn more about how building-wide wireless networks can close the broadband gap in multi-family housing. 

Application Workbook: Use this workbook to streamline your application process.

EECBG

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block (EECBG) Grant Program provides $550 million to assist state, local and tribal governments in implementing strategies to reduce energy use and fossil fuel emissions and improve energy efficiency. Applications to claim EECBG allocations are due October 31, 2024 for local governments and May 31, 2025 for tribal governments.

Application Support: Use this form to request support completing your application.

Sample Applications: Learn from sample applications for the EECBG Program Formula grants. 

Blueprints: ​​Access the Department of Energy’s recommendations and resources within each key activity to help support implementation of your EECBG Program projects.

Featured Resources

Save on Clean Energy: Cities can share this IRA calculator with residents so that they can save on energy bills. Use this messaging guide to get the word out. 

Climate Funding Map: See which funding opportunities your government is eligible for with this map. 

Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers: Disinvested communities can access grant support, partnership identification, budgeting, capacity building, translation and more.

Current & Upcoming Grant Opportunities

Inflation Reduction Act Direct Pay Program: Ongoing

• The details: Tax credits for cities to finance clean energy investments. 
• Explainer: This report describes eligible uses for direct pay. 

EPA Water Technical Assistance (WaterTA) programs: Ongoing

• The details: Support to prepare for and develop application materials to finance a project through the State Revolving Funds (SRFs) or other EPA-supported funding opportunities such as the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.  

Methane Emissions Reduction Program Oil and Gas Methane Monitoring and Mitigation: Due August 26, 2024 

• The details: $850 million to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sectors.

Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program: Due August 28, 2024 

• The details: $1.3 billion to strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging and alternative fueling infrastructure. 
• Last Call for EV Charging & Fueling Infrastructure: Use this resource to plan how your city will take advantage of the last round of electric vehicle charging and fueling infrastructure funding. This resource also details a few notable changes in the grant. 
• CFI in Athens, OH: See how Athens and their regional partners used this grant to bring charging stations to Southeastern Ohio

Safe Streets and Roads for All: Planning and Demonstration Grant applicants can apply through August 29, 2024

• The details: $451 million to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. FY23 award examples. 
• Safe Streets for All in Tampa: See how Tampa used this grant to make their streets safer. 

Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program: Due September 4, 2024 

• The details: $100 million to reduce Wildlife Vehicle Collisions while improving habitat connectivity for terrestrial and aquatic species.

🆕 State and Local Battery Collection, Recycling and Reprocessing Program: Due September 16, 2024 

• The details: $63 million over 2 to 5 years for state and local governments to establish or enhance programs for battery collection, recycling and reprocessing to support a domestic battery and critical materials supply chain.

Railroad Crossing Elimination Program (RCE): Due September 23, 2024 

• The details: $1.1 billion to fund highway-rail or pathway-rail grade crossing improvement projects that focus on improving the safety and mobility of people and goods.

Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program: Due September 30, 2024 

• The details: $607 million for improving access to jobs, education, healthcare, food, nature and recreation, fostering equitable development and restoration, and providing technical assistance to further these goals. 
• RCP in Kalamazoo: See how Kalamazoo, Michigan used this grant to make their downtown more accessible and support small businesses 

Bridge Planning and Investment Projects: Planning Project Grants due October 1, 2024, Bridge Project Grants due November 1, 2024

• The details: Up to $9.62 billion in FY23 through FY26 for Bridge Project grant applications. $80 million in FY23 through FY26 for Planning Project grant applications to reduce the overall number of bridges in poor condition, or in fair condition at risk of falling into poor condition. 
• Investing in the Gold Star Memorial Bridge in Connecticut: Take a look at this case story for best practices. 

🆕 WaterSMART Drought Response Program: Drought Resiliency Projects for FY25 are due October 7, 2024

• The details: Funding to propose projects that improve water management flexibility and reliability in response to drought.

Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program: Due November 21, 2024

• The details: $2 billion to fund community-driven projects that address climate challenges and reduce pollution while strengthening communities through thoughtful implementation.
• Winning Strategies: Take a look at these insights for submitting a competitive application. 
• Finally, see how the City of Tucson worked with Amistades, Inc. to secure this grant to address heat mitigation in the cities underserved neighborhoods 

National Estuarine Research Reserve System Habitat Protection and Restoration Competition: Due January 9, 2025

• The details: $13.5 million for coastal habitat restoration; coastal habitat restoration planning, engineering and design; and coastal land conservation projects.

Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Program: Due January 13, 2025 

• The details: $1.5 billion to improve road safety and ease of movement around communities, make transportation infrastructure more resilient to extreme weather, and improve supply chains to keep costs down for consumers. 
• RAISE in Lincoln, NE: The City of Lincoln secured a RAISE construction grant to finally realize a decades long goal of building a downtown mobility hub 

Want to share your winning application with fellow grant seekers? Have a question about a NOFO? Contact Miranda Alamilla at [email protected]. 

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