Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
The state’s Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office is highlighting the following six funding opportunities for municipalities, with deadlines in June:
• Exploratory Advanced Research Program: A transportation research grant focused on collecting diverse pedestrian data, giving researchers access to this data, and encouraging novel analyses to support the safety and mobility of all people. Applications are due June 5.
• COPS Hiring Program: A public safety grant that provides funding to law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire additional career law enforcement officers in an effort to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts. Applications are due June 6.
• Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants: A housing grant meant to support the development of a comprehensive plan to revitalize severely distressed public housing or HUD-assisted housing and the surrounding neighborhood. Applications are due June 10.
• Renew America’s Schools Environment grant: An energy efficiency grant intended to transform decaying public school infrastructure into healthier, more energy efficient learning environments and lower utility costs. Applications are due June 13.
• Innovative Finance and Asset Concessions Grant Program: A transportation grant focused on assisting eligible public entities in facilitating and evaluating public-private partnerships and exploring opportunities for innovative financing and delivery for eligible transportation infrastructure projects. Applications are due June 17.
• Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program: Two transportation-focused grants meant to support planning, designing and constructing active transportation networks and spines. Applications are due June 17.
Federal funds bill
In addition to posting federal funding grant opportunities, the Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office offers support to municipalities for the pursuit of federal grants. The office leads a monthly Massachusetts Federal Funds Partnership meeting that provides information about relevant agencies and grant opportunities as well as an open forum for questions related to federal funding opportunities.
A federal funding bill filed by Gov. Maura Healey last October would provide additional funding to the Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office to help support municipalities in their pursuit of federal funding.
The bill is designed to leverage interest from the state’s rainy day fund to improve the competitive position of the state and its communities for federal dollars. Healey’s bill would create a Commonwealth Federal Matching and Debt Reduction Fund as a funding source for the state and its municipalities to help meet the required local match for grants.
The bill also proposes $12 million for technical assistance to help municipalities with grant tracking, grant writing and implementation. Up to $750 million in interest generated annually by the state’s stabilization fund would be tapped to meet these goals.
The House approved the bill on Feb. 28 and the Senate approved a version on Jan. 11. The two bills have small differences that are awaiting resolution in a conference committee that includes Sens. Michael Rodrigues, John Cronin and Patrick O’Connor and Reps. Aaron Michlewitz, Jack Lewis and Mathew Muratore.