Technical Assistance Provider Learning Series
Each month, the Thriving Communities Network hosts a Capacity Builder Learning Series Session. Each session is designed to focus on a specific issue that is relevant to technical assistance providers and capacity builders working in the field. Sessions feature presentations from capacity builders, community based organizations, and communities, and each session is designed to foster significant discussion and peer-learning. The audience for theses sessions is federal staff, technical assistance providers, and capacity builders.
February 27, 2024: Levelling the Playing Field: Ensuring that Historically Underserved Communities and Community Based Organizations Are Able To Access IRA and BIL Funds for Priority Projects
Hosted by the EPA, this first session was intended for federal staff, TA providers, and capacity builders, and focused on how federal agencies are ensuring that historically underserved places are able to access support for locally driven, community-centered climate and infrastructure projects, and the role of TA providers. The aim of the series is to ensure TA providers and federal field staff from all agencies know about TA and funding opportunities, and to build a community of practice across place-based capacity building efforts. This call featured EPA’s Community Change Grants and Technical Assistance program, with approximately $2 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funds, which will support disadvantaged communities in advancing projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges.
Click here for the slides that were shared during this session.
March 20, 2024: Models for Community Capacity Building: How Can TA Providers Effectively Support Historically Underserved Communities' Long-Term Capacity?
Hosted by the EDA, this second session of the Thriving Communities Network Learning Series supported federal staff, TA providers, and capacity builders in discussing models and best practices for building capacity in historically underserved places. This call featured the Economic Development Administration (EDA)’s Economic Recovery Corps, a new program that creates a connected network to address the resource gap between planning and implementation, and boost the capacity of communities to implement locally-driven economic development strategies. The $30 million program will place more than 65 trained fellows across the nation. EDA was joined by Accelerators for America, a DOT and HUD funded TA provider that has worked extensively in building capacity in historically underserved communities.
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April 30, 2024: Capacity Building in Rural Communities: Place-Based Technical Assistance
Hosted by USDA, this third Thriving Communities Network Learning Series focused on capacity building efforts in rural communities, with a specific emphasis on rural community engagement and civic capacity. Presentations and breakout discussions explored Federal programs from different agencies that have been especially useful to rural communities, as well as models for public involvement in a rural context.
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May 29, 2024: Technical Assistance Over a Full Project Lifecycle
Hosted by DOT, this fourth Thriving Communities Network Learning Series focused on capacity building efforts across the full project lifecycle, from project visioning through to project construction. Presentations and discussions explored Federal technical assistance programs from the Department of Transportation, including the Thriving Communities Program and the Reconnecting Communities Institute. This session emphasized that technical assistance for disadvantaged and historically underserved communities often does not end with receipt of a grant.
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June 25, 2024: How State and Local Governments and Tax-Exempt Entities Can Use Elective Pay to Transition Toward a Clean Energy Economy
Hosted by the Department of the Treasury, this Learning Series Sessions focused on renewable energy and green tax credits. Specifically, the event focused on “elective pay,” also known as “direct pay,” a novel provision in the Inflation Reduction Act that enables local governments and tax-exempt entities to benefit from renewable energy tax incentives. Presentations and discussions explored what direct pay is, how it works, and ways that capacity builders and technical assistance providers can support communities in taking advantage of direct pay and green tax credits.
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August 28, 2024: FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)
Hosted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), this Learning Series Session focused on FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, including a deep dive into some successes of its Direct Technical Assistance (DTA) initiative. Participants learned about how BRIC’s DTA initiative is well-positioned to coordinate interagency matters because of the complexity of natural hazards. This learning session provided insight into how a BRIC DTA recipient in Crisfield, Maryland, managed to use multiple partners to identify and successfully put together a sub application for the FEMA BRIC grant program. The discussion provided the audience with a technical assistance success story; from receiving technical assistance to developing a successful application for a federal grant program.
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September 25, 2024: DOE's American Made Challenges
Hosted by the Department of Energy, this Learning Series Session focused on DOE's American Made Challenges. The US Department of Energy has over 140 Justice40 Programs. The most innovative programs were competitive prizes, called the American Made Challenges, that broke the norms of traditional funding requirements by creating more accessible application processes to empower disadvantaged communities. Kerene Tayloe, Associate Director of DOE’s Office of Community Engagement shared some of the best practices and lessons learned from the American Made Challenges to uplift and engage communities, many of which had no previous past performance with federal government grants. Kerene was joined by a panel of prize recipients who shared their experiences with the program.
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October 30, 2024: Supporting Local Leaders' Integration of Art and Design to Solve Community Challenges
Hosted by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), this Thriving Communities Network Learning Series focused on three NEA technical assistance programs that support the effective integration of art and design, and artists and designers, into place-based community development efforts. Presentations and discussion explored the NEA’s Mayors’ Institute on City Design, the Citizens' Institute on Rural Design, and the Creative Placemaking Technical Assistance Program. Best practices for art and design integration, lessons learned from these programs, as well as opportunities for engagement with each were discussed.
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November 20, 2024: Establishing Anti-Displacement Strategies Through HUD TCTA
On November 20th, the Thriving Communities Network (TCN) held a Learning Series Session on displacement of residents and businesses near transportation. This webinar highlighted HUD TCTA’s upcoming anti-displacement tool, designed to help local governments facing displacement pressures on their residents and small businesses. Attendees heard engaging stories from one of the communities, discussed real-world scenarios, and completed interactive exercises that cover housing and small business strategies.
Click here for the slides that were shared during this session.