DOT Announces $1B Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program
Eligible applicants: states, nonprofits, local governments, tribal entities, local authorities. Applications are due: October 13, 2022
Opportunity: Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program (DOT)
Overview and Eligible Uses: The Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program is the first-ever program to help reconnect communities that were previously cut off from economic opportunities by transportation infrastructure. Funding supports planning grants and capital construction grants, as well as technical assistance, to restore community connectivity through the removal, retrofit, mitigation, or replacement of eligible transportation infrastructure facilities.
Planning grants may be used to study the feasibility and impacts of removing, retrofitting, or mitigating an existing eligible facility or to conduct planning activities necessary to design a project to remove, retrofit, or mitigate an existing eligible facility. Capital construction grants may be used for projects for which all necessary studies and other planning activities have been completed to remove, retrofit, mitigate, or to replace an existing eligible facility.
Amount: $1B total, with $195M in 2022 ($50M for planning and $195M for capital construction)
Type: Competitive grant
Eligible Applicants:
For Planning Grants:
States
Units of local government
Federally recognized Tribal governments
Metropolitan planning organizations
Nonprofit organizations
For Capital Construction Grants:
The Facility Owner of the eligible facility under consideration must serve as the recipient for capital construction grants. This is likely to be a State or local government agency with jurisdiction for transportation.
Partnerships between the Facility Owner and the other entities listed as eligible planning grant applicants.
Key Dates: Deadline October 13, 2022
Key Links:
Reconnecting Communities Website
For a full list of currently available grant programs under the Infrastructure Law and other helpful tools, take a look at our Helpful Resources page.