Identifying the ideal funding opportunity in recent infrastructure funding legislation, including the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), can be challenging for project owners. To put those challenges into perspective, the IIJA bill, for example, funds more than 380 programs, 140 of which are new programs, across over a dozen agencies. Our team supports clients in identifying opportunities and submitting grant applications, but there are also several web resources that can help provide clarity. Websites that breaks down the legislation information succinctly can be a crucial asset for project owners trying to identify the opportunity that best fits their project needs.
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Funding
National Governors Association Infrastructure Implementation Resources
This web resource from the National Governors Association (NGA) provides timely updates and actionable goals for infrastructure implementation. The site was developed with governors in mind who play a big role in helping constituents understand the IIJA legislation by monitoring and giving input on where funding is being allocated to in their state, recognizing agencies and contracts, appointing infrastructure coordinators, and creating a vision for their state. The site provides a calendar of upcoming funding opportunities and milestones right from the homepage. The NGA has also created an IIJA Formula and Competitive Grant Program Tracker that presents information on all known formula and competitive grant programs in the IIJA. Information includes the source agency, the dollar amounts, whether the programs are new or existing, funding type, latest announcements, upcoming milestones, and eligibility requirements. Additionally, the site’s Infrastructure Insights page offers a continuously updated collection of industry analysis.
Local Infrastructure Hub
The Local Infrastructure Hub site, which is hosted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and other credible sources, serves as a touch point for local leaders to find infrastructure funding information and expert advice. The site provides a searchable database for funding opportunities and has a robust collection of learning webinars by topic, including grant application “bootcamps,” using federal funds to create infrastructure jobs, and investing in community resilience.
These web resources will help ease project owners into the overload of information brought on by recent legislation.”
Caroline Whitehead
National Association of Counties Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)
Approximately 80% of funding allocated by IIJA is going to local governments. With that in mind, the National Association of Counties created a site which includes a page on legislative analysis for counties on the BIL. The page breaks down the funding “by the numbers” in a visual and skimmable way. The site also breaks down major provisions for counties by infrastructure topic, such as transportation, energy and environment, drinking water, and more. Additionally, the site contains a dynamic list of open notices for county funding.
American Rescue Plan Act Funding
National League of Cities
The National League of Cities ARPA site includes an investment tracker that allows visitors to see how local agencies are using the funding to recover and grow from the pandemic. The tracker allows you to search a wide variety of topics and compare investments by state. The site also includes articles and FAQs to provide guidance and instruction on implementation of funding grants.
Inflation Reduction Act Funding
Bipartisan Policy Center
The Bipartisan Policy Center site includes a digestible IRA summary that breaks down key energy and climate provisions. Sections include:
- Clean energy tax credits
- Carbon management
- Residential energy efficiency
- Energy innovation
- Offshore wind and oil and gas systems
- Community investment and energy justice
- Agriculture and forestry
- Permitting
- Financing
These web resources will help ease project owners into the overload of information brought on by recent legislation. For any needs not addressed in these resources, we encourage you to reach out to our team for guidance on the funding destination that works best for your project.