Combined NOFO: Reconnecting Communities Pilot and Neighborhood Access & Equity Programs

U.S. Department of Transportation sent this bulletin at 06/14/2023 05:07 PM EDT
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The Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST) will soon release a joint Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) and Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) programs, which will combine two major discretionary grants into one NOFO. Together, this combined program will be known as the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) Program. 

 

The RCN NOFO will solicit grant applications for the Reconnecting Communities Pilot discretionary grant program, established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), and for the newly created Neighborhood Access and Equity discretionary grant program, established by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). 

 

Look for the NOFO to be posted on Grants.gov soon. 

 

Additional information on how to apply, frequently asked questions, and the Department’s Benefit Cost Analysis Guidance for Discretionary Grant programs are forthcoming and will be available at Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant Program | US Department of Transportation.

 

Under the combined RCN Program, USDOT will offer three grant types:  

 

Grant Types

 

USDOT has combined these two programs into a single NOFO to provide a more efficient application process for project sponsors. While they remain separate programs for the purposes of award, the programs share many common characteristics, including: 

 

  • Prioritizing disadvantaged communities; 
  • Aiming to improve access to daily needs such as jobs, education, healthcare, food, and recreation; 
  • Fostering equitable development and restoration; 
  • Reconnecting communities by removing, retrofitting, or mitigating highways or other transportation facilities that create barriers to community connectivity, including to mobility, access, or economic development.  

Because of these shared characteristics, it is possible for many projects to be eligible and considered for both programs using a single application. The chart below illustrates the similarities and differences between the RCP and NAE opportunities. 

 

 Combined NOFO

 

 

USDOT will evaluate applications for the programs using common merit criteria and considerations to provide a more streamlined and efficient application process for project sponsors. The common set of criteria include:  

 

  • Equity and Environmental Justice 
  • Access 
  • Facility Suitability 
  • Community Engagement 
  • Community-based Stewardship, Management, and Partnership 
  • Equitable Development 
  • Climate and Environment 
  • Workforce Development and Economic Opportunity.   

 

Additional considerations include cost effectiveness, demonstrated project readiness (including technical assessment, financial completeness, and environmental review), permitting risk, and geographic diversity among recipients – including a balance between the needs of urban and rural projects. 

 

USDOT will publish RCN frequently asked questions (FAQs), Benefit-Cost Analysis Guidance for Discretionary Grant Programs, and host several informational webinars for prospective grant applicants in the weeks following the NOFO release.  Please check Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant Program | US Department of Transportation for updates.