USDOT offers Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grants

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced on July 5 that up to $3.16 billion is available for planning and construction projects through the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods discretionary grant program.

In an effort to streamline the grant application process, the RCN Notice of Funding Opportunity combines two major grants with shared characteristics: the Reconnecting Communities Pilot and the Neighborhood Access and Equity programs.

Established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Reconnecting Communities Pilot program aims to reconnect communities that have been cut off from economic development opportunities due to previous transportation infrastructure projects. The program will fund planning and capital construction grants for projects that will restore community connectivity by removing, retrofitting, mitigating or replacing divisive transportation infrastructure.

The Neighborhood Access and Equity discretionary grant program was created by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The program funds projects that improve walkability, safety and affordable transportation access, and address existing transportation facilities that create barriers to community connectivity or negative impacts on the human or natural environment. It also provides funding for planning and capacity building activities in disadvantaged or underserved communities as well as funding for technical assistance to units of local government to facilitate efficient and effective contracting, design and project delivery and to build capacity for delivering surface transportation projects.

The Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods program is offering three grant types: Community Planning Grants, Capital Construction Grants, and Regional Partnerships Challenge Grants.

Community Planning Grants will award funding for planning activities for future construction projects and allow for innovative community planning to address localized transportation challenges. Up to $50 million of RCP funds and $135 million of NAE funds will be awarded for eligible community planning activities.

Capital Construction Grants will award funding for projects to remove, retrofit, mitigate or replace existing eligible dividing transportation facilities with new facilities that reconnect communities; mitigate a burdening transportation facility that is a source of air pollution, noise, stormwater, heat, or other burdens; or implement a strategy to reduce environmental harm and/or improve access through transportation improvements. Up to $148 million of RCP funds and $2.57 billion of NAE funds will be awarded for eligible construction activities.

Regional Partnerships Challenge Grants will award funding to a project led by two or more eligible applicants to address a persistent regional challenge related to equitable access and mobility. Eligible activities for Regional Partnerships Challenge Grants are the same as those listed under Capital Construction and Community Planning Grants, but they must have a regional focus, and clearly demonstrate regional coordination, including leveraging of local, state, and federal resources and policies. Up to $450 million of NAE funds will be awarded.

State, local and tribal governments, metropolitan planning organizations, nonprofits, and partnerships are eligible to apply, though the RCP and NAE programs have different rules for determining applicant eligibility. Disadvantaged or underserved communities will be prioritized.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity is available on Grants.gov. Applications are due by Sept. 28 via Valid Eval through the following links:
• Community Planning Grants: usg.valideval.com/teams/rcn_planning/signup
• Capital Construction Grants: usg.valideval.com/teams/rcn_captialconstruction/signup

Questions may be directed to reconnectingcommunities@dot.gov.