Thriving Communities Program Capacity Builders Cooperative Agreements

 

Up to six cooperative agreements will be established with organizations that are capable of developing and implementing technical assistance (TA), planning, and capacity building to improve and foster thriving communities through transportation improvements. The selected organizations will offer support to disadvantaged communities, enabling them to plan and develop a pipeline of transportation and community revitalization activities 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. The selected Capacity Builder organizations will support three Communities of Practice (or cohorts). A Capacity Builder will be assigned to each cohort; and paired with a set of 10-15 communities to provide the support detailed in the NOFO and finalized in their scope of work. The cohort model will make use of peer learning, customized services, and subject matter expertise. The Communities of Practice include: Main Streets Focused on Tribal and rural communities and the interconnected transportation, community, and economic development issues they face.? Complete Neighborhoods Focused on urban and suburban communities located within Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) planning areas working to better coordinate transportation with land use, housing, and economic development.?? Networked Communities Focused on those communities located near ports, airports, freight, and rail facilities to address mobility, access, housing, environmental justice, and economic issues.

Active 20.942 Office of The Secretary, Department of Transportation B - Project Grants Fiscal Year 2023 Offer training to local government staff, business leaders, and local NGOs. One on one assistance with planning tasks. Capacity building of local agencies. Integration of transportation, land use, and housing planning activities. Identify funding and financing opportunities. Grow long-term capacity to leverage transportation investments to achieve broader economic and community development goals. Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, Part Division L, Section Title I, Public Law 117-328
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, Part Division L, Section Title I, Public Law 117-103
Thriving Communities Initiative For necessary expenses for a thriving communities program, $25,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2024: Provided, That the Secretary of Transportation shall make such amounts available for technical assistance and cooperative agreements to develop and implement technical assistance, planning, and capacity building to improve and foster thriving communities through transportation improvements: Provided further, That the Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements with philanthropic entities, non-profit organizations, other Federal agencies, state or local governments and their agencies, Indian Tribes, or other technical assistance providers, to provide such technical assistance, planning, and capacity building to state, local, or Tribal governments, United States territories, metropolitan planning organizations, transit agencies, or other political subdivisions of state or local governments: Provided further, That to be eligible for a cooperative agreement under this heading, a recipient shall provide assistance to entities described in the preceding proviso on engaging in public planning processes with residents, local businesses, non-profit organizations, and to the extent practicable, philanthropic organizations, educational institutions, or other community stakeholders: Provided further, That such cooperative agreements shall facilitate the planning and development of transportation and community revitalization activities supported by the Department of Transportation under titles 23, 46, and 49, United States Code, 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: Provided further, That the Secretary may prioritize assistance provided with amounts made available under this heading to communities that have disproportionate rates of pollution and poor air quality, communities experiencing disproportionate effects (as defined by Executive Order No. 12898), areas of persistent poverty as defined in section 6702(a)(1) of title 49, United States Code, or historically disadvantaged communities: Provided further, That the preceding proviso shall not prevent the Secretary from providing assistance with amounts made available under this heading to entities described in the second proviso under this heading that request assistance through the thriving communities program: Provided further, That planning and technical assistance made available under this heading may include pre-application assistance for capital projects eligible under titles 23, 46, and 49, United States Code: Provided further, That the Secretary may retain amounts made available under this heading for the necessary administrative expenses of (1) developing and disseminating best practices, modeling, and cost-benefit analysis methodologies to assist entities described in the second proviso under this [[Page 136 STAT. 687]] heading with applications for financial assistance programs under titles 23, 46, and 49, United States Code, and (2) award, administration, and oversight of cooperative agreements to carry out the provisions under this heading: Provided further, That such amounts and payments as may be necessary to carry out the thriving communities program may be transferred to appropriate accounts of other operating administrations within the Department of Transportation. Eligible applicants are non-profit organizations, state or local governments and their agencies (such as transit agencies or metropolitan planning organizations), Tribes, philanthropic entities, and other technical assistance providers with a demonstrated capacity to develop and provide technical assistance, planning, and capacity building. Recipients of the technical assistance provided through TCP are state, local, or Tribal governments, United States territories, metropolitan planning organizations, regional transportation planning organizations, transit agencies, or other political subdivisions of state or local governments. DOT is establishing as a prerequisite to eligibility, that these governmental entities form coalitions, referred to as Community Partnerships (as described in the LOI), with organizations from within and outside the government that may also serve as local capacity building and technical assistance implementation partners and generate deeper community engagement particularly from historically under-represented populations and environmental justice stakeholders. The composition of these Community Partnerships will be at the discretion of each technical assistance recipient, but could include other government entities, nonprofits, non-governmental and community-based organizations, labor unions, advocacy groups, chambers of commerce and major employers or anchor institutions, and philanthropic organizations. Not applicable. Preapplication coordination is not applicable. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Applicants should register with SAM.gov and grants.gov. A United Entity Identifier is required. Applicants will prepare a proposal of up to 20 pages in length, and address the requirements contained in the NOFO which will be posted to grants.gov. Proposals must include: -Technical Approach -Staffing and Project Management Plan -Program Evaluation and Assessment Plan -Budget information including indirect costs For each application, DOT staff will assess whether the applicant is eligible and submitted all the information requested for a complete application. Applications that may not have all the necessary components will be referred to an Evaluation Management Oversight Team, which will contact the applicant if it is determined they are an eligible applicant and request the missing information with a response time of 5 business days. Applicants that do not supply required information in this timeframe will be disqualified. Applications received from ineligible entities will not be considered for funding. Applicants who are determined to be ineligible will be notified in writing, and all determinations will be documented. October 17, 2022 to November 22, 2022 Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines From 60 to 90 days. Not applicable. Not applicable. Proven Success ? Extensive expertise in providing technical assistance, planning and capacity building to and/or with government organizations to support the needs of underserved populations and geographies. ? Demonstrated ability to build and sustain a Community of Practice to generate shared learning and relationship building across diverse types of government and non-government partners, including equity partners, and a diversity of place types. ? Ability to carry out the proposed scope of work based on staff experience and professional accomplishments. ? Demonstrated ability to assist lead applicants in their efforts to successfully comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and the Americans with Disabilities Act, and other federal regulations. ? Employment of qualified personnel that, as a group, demonstrate project management expertise, as well as demonstrated success in all aspects of the scope of work including commitments to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Quality Project Management ? Feasible and reasonable budget that addresses all program and Federal accountability concerns and demonstration of a financial plan and necessary accounting systems in place to meet federal 2 CFR Part 200 requirements. ? Clearly identified tasks and at least 60% of budget allocated to provide direct support to recipients and community partners to build and utilize local capacity. ? Clearly defined timeline including targets, metrics, milestones, objectives, goals, and deliverables. ? Clear involvement of disadvantaged business enterprises, small businesses or minority owned businesses, and/or community-based organizations in proposed deliverables. ? Realistic performance targets and demonstrated method to measure progress. ? Management plan describing methods for supporting the project goals and managing partner organizations and project staff, including plan to address challenges and risks and proposed mitigation strategies. Alignment with DOT Priorities ? Demonstrates multiple areas of expertise including specifically working with and empowering disadvantaged communities and with transportation approaches that align with DOT strategic priorities and Equity Action Plan commitments. ? Enable development of a national pipeline of transformative projects and comprehensive community development that deliver equity, environmental, safety, mobility, housing, and economic benefits. ? Infuse an equity lens into the design and delivery of technical assistance, planning, and capacity building in a transportation context. ? Improve basic infrastructure conditions and elevate the adoption of transportation decarbonization and climate resilience strategies to benefit disadvantaged communities. ? Adopt equity screening and meaningful public involvement practices to advance transformative community- and data-driven projects through state and metropolitan Transportation Improvement Programs (STIPs and TIPs). ? Support workforce development, hiring and labor practices benefitting local economically disadvantaged communities. Centering Community ? Develop a realistic and community-driven assessment of need and corresponding scope of work for each assigned recipient. ? Deploy equity practices to support community visioning and inclusive engagement strategies, including use of arts, culture, technology, and culturally competent practices. ? Demonstrate success in building and sustaining partnership networks for local and regional transportation, economic and community development, housing, public health and/or environmental entities and stakeholders. ? Demonstrate an approach to working with DOT and other relevant federal agencies, including identified regional staff, in providing support to communities and leveraging federal opportunities. Flexibility and Innovation ? Increase the ability of communities to deploy innovative technologies and other strategies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve safety, equity, and resilience outcomes in disadvantaged communities. ? Increase or supplement the ability of communities to deploy quantitative skills, analytics, and data visualization to support evidence-based planning and decision-making. ? Include innovative practices to co-design evaluation and performance metrics to ensure program goals are advanced along with along Impact Size and Longevity ? Maximize the scale of impact by providing comprehensive technical assistance to as many communities as reasonably possible. ? Maximize impact by leveraging additional funding and other resources (whether public, philanthropic, or other private resources). ? Demonstrate success in efficiently taking existing practices to scale; and in aggregating place-based work into key findings, noteworthy practices, and guidance to inform future DOT policy, technical assistance, planning and capacity building efforts. ? Ensure longevity of technical assistance impact 1. Delivering individualized deep-dive technical assistance, planning, and capacity building to selected communities across pre-development and grant application activities through project development, project funding and financing, and project delivery. 2. Establishing and managing a national Community of Practice to advance policies, practices and projects informed by meaningful public involvement and partnership. 3. Providing targeted technical support as part of the national TCP capacity building network. Performance Reports: Quarterly written performance reports are required. Will be utilizing subpart F in 2 CFR 200 Significant records are not expected as a part of this project. Cooperative agreements will articulate record retention, and it will comply with federal regulations. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. FY22 Awards must will conclude by September 30, 2025. FY23 Awards must conclude by September 30, 2026. Invoices for reimbursable costs will be paid monthly. None/Not specified. Alexander Bond
1200 New Jersey Ave SE
Washington, DC 20590 USA
alexander.bond@dot.gov
Phone: 202-366-2414

Mariia Zimmerman
1200 New Jersey Ave SE
Washington, DC 20590 USA
mariia.zimmerman@dot.gov
Phone: 202-366-7633 https://www.transportation.gov/grants/thriving-communities#:~:text=Beginning%20in%202023%2C%20the%20Thriving,that%20advance%20broader%20community%20goals. 69-2224-0-0-162 (Cooperative Agreements) FY 22$21,500,000.00; FY 23 est $21,000,000.00; FY 24 Estimate Not Available FY 21$0.00; - Subject to annual appropriations FY22 awards varied from $5.05 million to $5.9 million. Four awards were made. In FY23, up to 9 awards are forecasted. Up to five State/Regional Capacity Builder Awards are expected, with a range of $750,000 to $2 million. Up to four National Capacity Builder Awards are expected, with a range of $4 million to $5.5 million. Not applicable. Fiscal Year 2023 Offer training to local government staff, business leaders, and local NGOs. One on one assistance with planning tasks. Capacity building of local agencies. Integration of transportation, land use, and housing planning activities. Identify funding and financing opportunities. Grow long-term capacity to leverage transportation investments to achieve broader economic and community development goals.