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Thriving Communities Program

General Grant Program Information

Funded with $50 million through both the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) transformative new Thriving Communities Program (TCP) aims 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. 

TCP facilitates the planning and development of transportation and community revitalization activities and provides tools to ensure that under-resourced communities can access the historic funding provided in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

The Thriving Communities Program will provide 2 years of deep-dive assistance and 3 years of facilitated peer learning support to selected communities to help them plan and develop a pipeline of comprehensive transportation, housing, and community revitalization activities.

Two Opportunities through Thriving Communities

For its fiscal year (FY) 2023 Thriving Communities Program, which is now closed, USDOT offered two separate response opportunities for potential applicants: 

  1. Call for Letters of Interest (LOI): For eligible communities to receive technical assistance, planning, or capacity building services to help compete for federal aid and deliver quality infrastructure projects. The application deadline for TCP Letters of Interest was November 15, 2023.
     
  2. Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO): For eligible organizations that will serve as “Capacity Builders” to provide technical assistance, planning, or capacity building services to help disadvantaged communities. For FY 2023, there were two types of capacity builder grants offered: one to serve as a national capacity builder to provide support to communities selected by DOT through the Letters of Interest, and another to be a regional capacity builder to provide support to a set of communities within their jurisdiction that are identified in the application. The application deadline for the TCP NOFO was November 28, 2023.
Opportunity Status:
Closed
Posted Date:
Close Date:
Eligible Applicants:
State Governments; Local Governments; Federally Recognized Tribes and Affiliated Groups; Planning and Project Organizations; Transportation Providers and Operators; Academic and Research Institutions; Private-Sector Applicants; Non-profit; U.S. Territories
Eligible Activities:
Planning; Technical Assistance, Workforce Development, and Training/Education; Climate and Sustainability; Accessibility
Transportation Type:
Air Bike/Ped Bridge Maritime Pipeline Railway Roadway Transit
Most Recent Annual Program Funding Amount:
$21.5 Million
Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement:
No
Match Waiver:
No
Grant Opportunity ID:
DOT-TCP-FY23-01
Agency:
USDOT / Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST)

Eligibility Information

Eligible applicants to receive support through the Thriving Communities Program Call for Letters of Interest include the following:

  • Local, state, or Tribal governments including pueblos or villages
  • United States territories
  • Metropolitan planning organizations
  • Transit agencies
  • Other political subdivisions of state or local governments

DOT will prioritize communities and organizations that have had limited past success in applying for or receiving Federal transportation funding, or in successfully delivering integrated infrastructure and community development projects. Applicants are required to identify at least two community partners to engage with during the period of performance. TCP is targeting support to assist disadvantaged communities.

If you are selected as a finalist, a letter of commitment will be required by the lead applicant and two key community partners.

There is no cost requirement to participate. The deadline to submit a Letter of Interest to receive technical assistance support through the program is November 15, 2023. LOIs must be submitted through the online Letter of Interest Webform found on the TCP website.

Funding Information

The Thriving Communities Program will provide up to $22 million in funding for Capacity Builders to provide technical assistance, planning, and capacity building support to disadvantaged and under-resourced communities across the U.S. to help them advance the transformative transportation projects needed to thrive.

There is no funding match requirement for the Thriving Communities program. 

Contact Information

Contact ThrivingCommunities@dot.gov for more information. 

Disclaimer:
The Dashboard provides users with a high-level overview of relevant Federal discretionary grant programs. The information in the Dashboard is maintained as a secondary resource and may not be updated with the most recent changes to each program's primary guidance materials. Accordingly, please refer to the Federal grant-making agency for the most comprehensive and up-to-date information on a grant opportunity in the Dashboard.

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