On September 12th, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the next phase of the Thriving Communities Grant Program (TCP) for up to $22 million in grants for technical assistance, and a Call for Letters of Interest from communities seeking support through the TCP.
The TCP provides intensive technical assistance to under-resourced and disadvantaged communities to help them identify, develop, and deliver transportation and community revitalization opportunities. Those communities receive in-kind support from Capacity Builders funded through the TCP to prepare grant application materials and undertake pre-development and project delivery activities including deploying innovative community engagement, workforce development, and clean technology strategies. There is no cost for communities to receive support through the program.
For the FY 2023 program, DOT has added a Thriving Communities Regional Pilot Program set-aside to which states, Tribes, and regional planning organizations can apply. This set-aside will allow pilot program participants to provide TCP activities at a state or regional scale to communities within their jurisdictions. This year, DOT anticipates funding at least four pilots at approximately $1 million each.
DOT will host a series of webinars this month to provide more information both to interested communities and capacity builders. For more information on the webinar series, including upcoming dates and registration information, see here.
The call for Letters of Interest (LOI) from communities seeking support from the program is open until November 15, while the NOFO for Capacity Builders is open until November 28. DOT anticipates announcing recipients in early 2024.