Main Spotlight: Breaking Barriers to Acquiring Commercial Properties
Creating real change in business ownership starts with local communities leading the way, backed by strong partnerships and collaborations.
Transportation infrastructure plays an important role in Main Street communities. © Hawkeye Aerial Services
Investing in infrastructure is crucial for revitalizing Main Streets and enhancing community connectivity. As places evolve, local infrastructure often struggles to keep pace, resulting in outdated systems that hinder economic development and social connectivity. The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) offers multiple grant opportunities that can support this important work. Programs like the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program and the Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) grant program offer vital opportunities for Main Street communities to address these challenges. By leveraging these resources, Main Streets can upgrade their infrastructure to support residents, attract businesses, and foster vibrant, equitable environments.
Learn how Main Streets can tap into federal resources to improve transportation infrastructure, take down barriers, and improve access to key services.
USDOT and Main Street: Federal Grants for Infrastructure Improvements
This month, the Government Relations team, representatives from USDOT, and representatives from Decatur, Alabama, and Harrisonburg, Virginia, convened to discuss two programs that can transform communities through streetscape improvements and increased connectivity. Our webinar highlighted two federal grant opportunities for Main Streets: the RAISE grant program and the RCP grant program. Main Street America is grateful to the USDOT, including our colleagues on the Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES) team, for their help with this important webinar.
During the webinar, Kimberly Bathrick, Transportation Policy Analyst at USDOT, described the RAISE grant program, which provides funding for communities to invest in critical infrastructure, like roads, trails, and rails. Kris Reisenberg, Community Planner at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), described RCP grant program, which provides funding and technical assistance for communities to improve access to daily needs such as jobs, education, healthcare, food, nature, and recreation.
Additionally, Danielle Gibson, President/CEO at Decatur Morgan County Tourism, discussed her involvement in the RCP grant award in Decatur, Alabama, which is meant to connect Old Town with the riverfront via the Dr. Bill Sims Hike-Bike Way on the Singing River Trail. Representing Harrisonburg, Virginia, Andrea Dono, Executive Director of Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance, discussed the RAISE grant award which her community won to transform the Liberty Street streetscape and create a multi-modal, pedestrian-friendly space. Danielle and Andrea both underscored the importance of working together with other organizations and listening to the needs of the community.
You can watch the complete webinar recording here, and read below for more information on each of the grant programs covered in the webinar.
Streetscape improvements can make a big difference for Main Streets. © Grant Harper
Apply for the USDOT RAISE Grant to Improve Your District’s Transportation Infrastructure
USDOT’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant is a key opportunity for Main Street communities looking to improve infrastructure in and around the commercial corridor to create a more vibrant, livable, and economically thriving district. The RAISE program funds surface transportation projects with local and regional impact by enhancing safety, accessibility, sustainability, and economic growth. With increased funding availability through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Main Street organizations should be aware of the program and its potential to advance community infrastructure priorities. The next round of RAISE grants is anticipated to open for applications this fall, so now is the time to prepare.
Many Main Street communities have done extensive community planning including city-wide and downtown master plans, Complete Streets design, and accessibility and walkability studies. Often, these plans collect dust on the shelf waiting for the right funding opportunity to be able to complete implementation. Sound familiar? The RAISE program offers a solution to this conundrum, with a flexible approach that centers on your community goals. RAISE grants focus on:
- Improving District Infrastructure: RAISE grants are geared toward enhancing quality of life in Main Street districts and making streets safer and more accessible through planning and implementation of infrastructure improvements.
- Revitalizing the Local Economy: RAISE grants support projects that can revive the local economy. For Main Street districts, projects can include goals to support small businesses, create jobs, and boost economic activity.
- Promoting Sustainability and Equity: RAISE prioritizes projects that will benefit all community members, including underserved individuals, and help our climate.
While applying for a federal grant can be a substantial undertaking, many Main Street projects and local goals waiting to be fulfilled fit within the framework of a RAISE grant. Read on to learn more about how to plan for the next round.
Overview of the RAISE Grant Program
RAISE grants are available to a wide range of applicants, including state and local governments, transit agencies, and tribal governments. If the program sounds familiar, you may know it by another name: RAISE was previously known as the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) and Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grants. Under each of its iterations, the program’s goals have shifted slightly. RAISE aligns with Main Street needs, prioritizing projects that promote economic growth, enhance quality of life, and address equity concerns by improving transportation options for underserved communities. This can include walkability, accessibility, and multimodal transit design. With the additional $7.5 billion in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the RAISE program has increased reach to support transformative projects across the country.
Funding and Eligibility
There are two types of projects awarded through the RAISE grant program: capital grants and planning grants. Capital grants range in size, with a minimum of $1 million in rural areas or $5 million in urban areas, and a maximum size of $25 million. Capital grants can fund highways, bridges, public transportation, intermodal projects, culvert replacement, and a variety of other transportation priorities. Planning grants have no minimum amount and can fund the needed elements of a potential project: planning, preparation, design, community engagement, benefit cost analysis, and other pre-construction activities.
Eligible applicants for RAISE grants are states, territories, local governments, public agencies or special purpose districts, or a combination of these groups. Main Streets, specifically those that are nonprofit entities, should consider opportunities to collaborate with local and regional partners to advance projects under this program. For more detailed information on eligibility, check out the FAQ here for more information.
How to Apply
The next application for RAISE grants is yet to open, but it is anticipated in Fall 2024. That means you have time now to prepare for the upcoming opportunity. We suggest that you:
- Review previous year’s projects: Looking at previous awardees and discussing these examples with leaders in your community can help light a spark and hone your project idea. Check out previous projects here >
- Collaborate with local partners: Getting a large grant application off the ground requires buy-in from local leaders, community members, and regional partners. Start having conversations early to anticipate needs and create alignment.
- Register on SAM.gov for a Unique Identification number: You will need a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number to apply. To request a UEI, please visit SAM.gov. Note that this may take up to 30 days.
- Check-out past years’ information from USDOT: Complete information, including webinars and Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) from previous application cycles, are available on the RAISE website and can help you get ahead of the game for the next application cycle. Review that information here >
Note: The next round of grants may include changes from the previous NOFO. Be aware of the possibility of changes and be flexible in your planning until the NOFO is released.
Transportation infrastructure that once divided communities, like this overpass in Birmingham, Alabama, can be transformed into vibrant public spaces. © Alicia Gallo
Apply for the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program Grant
USDOT’s Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) program is a transformative initiative aimed at addressing the adverse effects of transportation infrastructure that have historically divided communities. The RCP program is awarded on a competitive basis for projects that reconnect communities by removing, retrofitting, or mitigating highways or other transportation facilities that create barriers to community connectivity, including to mobility, access, or economic development. Importantly for Main Streets, the grant can be used for conversion to Complete Streets to improve pedestrian access, safety, and promote multi-modal transportation. The Notice of Funding Opportunity has been released, and applications are accepted until September 30, 2024.
Main Streets, which often serve as the economic and cultural heart of communities, can greatly benefit from the RCP program. By removing or retrofitting barriers like highways, these grants can be used to transform Main Streets into more accessible, safe, and vibrant spaces. Example projects include:
- Accessible: Removing large infrastructure barriers like highways and enhancing access to public transportation by improving local roadway networks, pedestrian networks, and transit networks can make Main Streets more accessible to all community members, including those on foot, those with disabilities, and those who rely on public transit. Increased accessibility may also support small businesses with increased foot traffic and sales.
- Safe: When grants are implemented in tandem with widening of sidewalks, installation of pedestrian crossings, and the addition of traffic calming measures, Main Streets can achieve safer environments for pedestrians.
- Vibrant: Main Street districts that remove or retrofit highway infrastructure can repurpose land create or enhance public plazas, parks, and other communal spaces. These areas serve as social and cultural hubs, encouraging community interaction and local events.
By investing in these types of improvements, the RCP program helps create Main Streets that are more functional and serve as vibrant hubs of community, fostering economic growth and social cohesion.
Overview of the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program
The RCP program is designed to fund planning and capital construction projects that aim to restore community connectivity by removing, retrofitting, or mitigating transportation facilities like highways and rail lines that have created barriers. This initiative recognizes the importance of inclusive and equitable urban planning, ensuring that all communities, particularly those historically marginalized, have access to the benefits of modern infrastructure.
Some of the goals of the RCP program include:
- Promote Equity: By addressing the physical and social divides created by past transportation projects, the RCP program seeks to advance Justice40 goals and create more inclusive and connected communities.
- Improve Access to Daily Needs: Reconnecting communities can lead to safer, more walkable neighborhoods with easier access to jobs, education, healthcare, food, nature, and recreation.
- Enhance Economic Opportunities: Improved connectivity can lead to increased economic development, job creation, and access to essential services.
Funding and Eligibility
The RCP program provides grants to a diverse range of applicants, including state and local governments, tribal entities, metropolitan planning organizations, and nonprofit organizations. Projects eligible for funding include:
- Community Planning Grants: These grants fund the study of removing, retrofitting, or mitigating an existing facility to restore community connectivity; public engagement; and other transportation planning activities. Eligible applicants include:
- a state
- a unit of local government
- a Tribal government
- a Metropolitan Planning Organization
- a non-profit organization
- Capital Construction Grants: These grants fund a project to remove, retrofit, mitigate, or to replace an existing eligible facility with a new facility that reconnects communities. Eligible applicants include:
- owner(s) of the eligible facility proposed in the project for which all necessary feasibility studies and other planning activities have been completed
- an eligible Community Planning Grant applicant may submit the application in partnership with the facility owner to carry out the proposed project.
An eligible facility is a highway or other surface transportation facility that creates a barrier to community connectivity, including barriers to mobility, access, or economic development due to high speeds, grade separations, or other design factors. Eligible facilities include limited access highways, viaducts, any other principal arterial facilities, and other facilities such as transit lines and rail lines.
How to Apply
Applications are due Thursday, September 30, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
Main Street organizations interested in applying for the RCP program grants can find detailed application guidelines and deadlines on the USDOT website. Additionally, explore the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods StoryMap for more information on past projects and potential uses in your community.
Before submitting your materials, you must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number in order to apply. To request a UEI, please visit SAM.gov. Note that this may take up to 30 days.
Valid Eval is a third-party web-based evaluation platform used by USDOT and other Federal programs to support program evaluation. Applicants will submit their applications via Valid Eval. You must apply through Valid Eval. Grants.gov will have the RCP opportunity posted, but you cannot apply through Grants.gov.
Potential applicants who are interested in pursuing a reconnecting type project but are not prepared to submit funding requests within 90 days can submit a request for technical assistance through the Reconnecting Communities Institute. Many reconnecting projects are also eligible for funding under formula programs or eligible discretionary grant programs. More information can be found on DOT’s Discretionary Grants Dashboard.
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