There’s never been a better time to pursue federal funds for a safe streets or active transportation planning project.
As a result of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, there is a huge influx of programs available that can help fund that project you’ve been dreaming about — or that planning work you need to make your community healthier and more active.
Recently, the U.S. Department of Transportation just announced it is opening applications for two relatively new programs, that together will award $8 billion:
Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods, which will make $3.16 billion available for improving access and mobility in underserved communities. This grant is exciting because not only will it fund construction for a project you have been planning — it can also be used for planning processes — like a walkability study, or transit station accessibility plan. Proposals are due Sept. 28th.
Also available right now is the Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant Program.
In addition there is money to be had from RAISE Grants, Safe Streets and Roads for All Grants, which funds Vision Zero Action plans and all kinds of important planning and capital work.
The National League of Cities’ Kyle Funk, McKaia Dykema and Brittney D. Kohler write that, taken together, these “will be one of the largest transportation grant amounts available to cities, towns and villages at one time.”
BUT these are competitive grants. Cities, suburbs and towns can’t sit passively by and expect to benefit. The funding will go to places that are seeking it out. And it can be overwhelming. We want to help communities access it and seize this generational opportunity to build safer, and more active streets and public spaces — especially communities that don’t always have a lot of internal resources to devote to planning. If you would like we can offer you a free consultation to help you think through your idea and consider potential funding sources.
