Thriving Communities Program Capacity Builders Cooperative Agreements

Urban, rural, and Tribal communities that have suffered historic disinvestment often lack the resources and capacity to successfully engage, develop, design, and deliver infrastructure projects. The Biden administration is committed to closing access gaps by providing targeted support to navigate federal requirements, identify funding and financing opportunities, and grow long-term capacity to leverage transportation investments to achieve broader economic and community development goals. As a result of the Thriving Communities Program, a pipeline of diverse and transformative community-driven infrastructure projects will be advanced across the country to drive inclusive economic growth, build resiliency, and ensure that every place has a chance to thrive. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) seeks to establish a national technical assistance program that will drive innovation, advance equity outcomes, and build a national pipeline of community-driven infrastructure projects. In its first year, TCP will provide deep-dive technical assistance to at least 30 communities. This will be done through cooperative agreements with eligible parties to help those communities with the highest degree of burden and capacity constraints prepare, develop, and deliver transformative infrastructure projects. Eligible TCP applicants should propose strategies to provide deep-dive technical assistance, planning and capacity building and build a robust Community of Practice across regions involving diverse transportation and community stakeholders. Specifically, this includes facilitating the scoping, planning, development and delivery of transportation and community revitalization activities supported by DOT that increase mobility, reduce pollution from transportation sources, expand affordable transportation options, facilitate efficient land use, preserve or expand jobs, improve housing conditions, enhance connections to health care, education, and food security, or improve health outcomes.