The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced funding through the Thriving Communities Program (TCP) to help 112 communities nationwide access federal funding and resources provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

When added to the inaugural cohort announced in April 2023, this announcement brings the total number of communities supported by this program to 176.

DOT’s Thriving Communities

DOT is awarding grants totaling $23.6 million to three national and six regional Thriving Communities Capacity Builders to support the 112 communities, which includes 12 Tribal Nations.

The program provides two years of no-cost, intensive technical assistance to under-resourced and disadvantaged communities to help them identify, develop, and deliver transportation projects to achieve locally-driven economic development, health, environment, mobility, and access goals.

Three national TCP teams will provide support to 52 communities located across the U.S. and selected by DOT. In addition, six regional TCP teams were selected to support 60 communities that were identified in their states or regions.

Of the 64 communities selected last year, 37 have now won federal funding for their communities through DOT discretionary grant programs, such as Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A), Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE), and the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program.

DOT Funding Process, Results

DOT received 229 Letters of Interest to receive technical assistance from this year’s National Thriving Communities program. The TCP prioritized the selection of disadvantaged and under-resourced communities that are working to advance transportation projects to improve health and safety outcomes, reduce housing and transportation cost burdens, preserve or expand job opportunities, and increase reliable mobility options to better access health care, food, education, and other essential destinations. 

According to the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, of the 52 communities selected for the National program, 87% are in disadvantaged census tracts. Over half of communities selected have either never applied for a DOT grant before or had applied but were unsuccessful.

Boosting Tribal Transit Opportunities

In the last year through TCP, DOT has helped urban, rural, and Tribal communities identify and develop grant applications for critical infrastructure projects. For example, Kearns Metro Township in Utah has leveraged their TCP-funded technical assistance to apply for funding for safety improvement strategies on 5400 South, one of the most dangerous roadways in the state.

TCP is also supporting lower capacity communities that have received DOT funding to effectively deliver projects, like the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe in Washington, which received a $25 million Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 RAISE grant to relocate the Tribe because of increased flooding and climate threats.

DOT Programs Selected

TCP selected three new National TCP Capacity Builders, who will each receive $4.25 to $5 million, to collectively support communities assigned by DOT into one of three "Communities of Practice" based on their common technical assistance needs.

Capacity builders will provide project-level technical assistance and planning support on issues such as preparing grant application materials, undertaking pre-development and project delivery activities, designing and deploying more inclusive community engagement strategies, and fostering small business and workforce development.

The FY 2023 National TCP Capacity Builders are:

• Rural Community Assistance Partnership Incorporated, in partnership with Community Engineering Corps, Communities Unlimited, Great Lakes Community Action Partnership, Midwest Assistance Program, National Association of Development Organizations, RCAP Solutions, and Rural Community Assistance Corp.: Awarded $4,250,000 to support 16 Main Street Communities

• Abt Associates Inc., in partnership with EPR, P.C., Equitable Cities, Morgan State University, Nelson\Nygaard, Safe Routes Partnership, and Smart Growth America: Awarded $4,957,180 to support 20 Complete Neighborhoods Communities

• Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, in partnership with AECOM, Intelligent Transportation Society of America, Accelerator for America, Two Degrees, ReConnect Rondo, and MWDBE Training Academy Inc.: Awarded $4,250,000 to support 16 Networked Communities.

The Communities of Practice are: 

• Main Streets – Focused on Tribal, rural, and small-town 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 planning areas working to better advance complete streets policies and coordinate transportation with land use, housing, and economic development.

• Networked Communities – Focused on communities located near ports, airports, freight, and rail facilities to address mobility, access, housing, environmental justice, and economic issues.

Also new for FY 2023, DOT added a TCP Regional Pilot Program, which allows participants to provide TCP activities to communities within their jurisdictions at a state or regional scale.

DOT funded six pilots at approximately $1-2 million each that collectively are supporting 60 communities in these states and regions: 

• Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (Alaska, $2,000,000); Partnering with Alaska Municipal League to support 18 communities, four of which are Tribes.

• State of Colorado Governor’s Office of Economic Recovery (Colorado, $2,000,000); Partnering with Southeast Colorado Enterprise Development to support six counties in its Southeast Transportation Planning Region.

• Louisiana Division of Administration Planning Office (Louisiana, $1,921,000); Partnering with Center for Planning Excellence, Louisiana Main Street, Division of Historic Preservation; Grey Engineering LLC, Place + Main Advisors LLC, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, and Louisiana Economic Development to support six communities.

• Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission (New Hampshire/Vermont, $1,188,443); Partnering with Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Commission to support 14 communities.

• New York State Department of Transportation (New York, $1,040,779); Partnering with New York State Department of State and ICF Incorporated to support five communities.

• Fayette-Raleigh Metropolitan Planning Organization (West Virginia, $2,000,000); Partnering with Regional Planning & Development Councils for Regions I, IV, & VII, West Virginia University, Brad & Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative, and the Mon Forest Towns Partnership to support 11 “Appalachian Heartland” communities.