The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill was signed into law six months ago and has the potential to transform the United States in essential ways that address climate change and wealth inequality. Before that happens, though, states and cities need to submit persuasive aid applications.
To sift through all the programs and initiatives, from the whole of a state to even a small town, and then pick the right one and write strong funding proposals, takes time and labor that a lot of local governments just don’t have.
They will now, though, thanks to the Local Infrastructure Hub, which will give local governments the help they need to get federal infrastructure funding.
Guidance American cities need
The Local Infrastructure Hub is a program that works as a support center to assist and guide mayors and local officials in getting the infrastructure funds they need to get their projects started. It is a collaboration by the National League of Cities, Results for America, and the United States Conference of Mayors and funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Emerson Collective, the Ford Foundation, and The Kresge Foundation.
Federal funding applications can be complicated and confusing endeavors. Much like a college application, it is a big help and sometimes necessary to have someone around who understands the process. Mayors and local leaders are often the boots on the ground, initiating practical, non-ideological projects to improve their communities, but some smaller towns might not have the staff or experience to navigate complex federal funding applications.
If a city council wants to expand their bike paths, they’d probably have all the expertise to execute the project but not staff experienced in federal grant applications. This is where the Local Infrastructure Hub would come in with webinars, connections with experts, and advice on how to frame their projects, and grow and mold them to better fit the federal funding guidelines. All of this will maximize worthy projects’ chances at federal infrastructure funding, and the city council would be able to expand their bike paths after having changed their proposal to include lower-income neighborhoods in the expansion so lower-income individuals could get to jobs across the city.
If you or someone you know is part of a local infrastructure project, and you’re looking for federal funding, see if the Local Infrastructure Hub can help.
