The U.S Department of Transportation recently announced the Thriving Communities Program, which will be administered by the Build America Bureau. The Maryland Department of Transportation encourages community leaders to consider the program and submit letters of intent or applications to the Bureau by the due dates described below.
The Thriving Communities Program has $25 million in funding and is designed to ensure that "disadvantaged communities adversely or disproportionately affected by environmental, climate, and human health policy outcomes have the technical tools and organizational capacity to compete for federal aid and deliver quality infrastructure projects that enable their communities and neighborhoods to thrive".
There are two ways that interested communities and/or organizations can engage in the new program.
1. Communities seeking two-years of deep technical assistance, free of cost, should submit letters of interest by December 6, 2022.
2. Organizations interested in providing technical assistance to disadvantaged communities can receive funding through the program to do so. Applications to receive this funding and become a capacity builder are due by November 22, 2022.
Learn more about these exciting new opportunities at the Thriving Communities Program website, or contact Michelle Martin, Deputy Director, MDOT Office of Planning and Capital Programming, at mmartin@mdot.maryland.gov.