Bureau Bulletin Brief - Reconnecting Communities Funding Opportunity Update

Bulletin Brief - August 2, 2024

Reconnecting Communities Grant Applications due September 30th

The links to apply to the 2024 Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) Program have opened through Valid Eval. Applications are separated into two types – planning and construction.  The application window closes September 30^th.

Please use the follow the links to begin your application:

• Capital Construction
• Community Planning

Upcoming webinars:

Topic	Date + Time (Eastern)	Registration Link
RCP Webinar for Tribal Communities	Tuesday, August 6, 2-3:30pm	ZoomGov
RCP Capital Construction Webinar	Tuesday, August 20, 2-3:30pm	ZoomGov
RCP Rural/Nonprofit Webinar	Tuesday, August 27, 2-3:30pm	ZoomGov

You can find recordings of previous webinars on the RCP Website.

In addition to these webinars led by the RCP team, the Reconnecting Communities Institute (RCI) is hosting a series of no-cost, virtual Grant Writing Clinics and Office Hours. Led by experts with deep experience in federal grant programs, these events will include:

• An overview of the RCP Program grant opportunity and RCI
• A panel discussion and Q&A with previous grant recipients
• Focused strategy sessions covering grant application topics such as equitable development, workforce development, climate and environment, community engagement, partnerships, and more
• Office hours to connect with experts, learn about RCP Program grants, and ask specific questions about the grant application

A schedule of these events can be found below:

Topic	Date + Time (Eastern)	Registration Link
Grant Writing Clinic	Friday, August 16, 12-5pm	Register here
Office Hours	Thursday, August 22, 11am-6pm	Register here
Grant Writing Clinic	Friday, September 13, 12-5pm	Register here
Office Hours	Monday, September 16, 11am-6pm	Register here

Finally, USDOT is hosting a two-part webinar series to help communities use data to effectively tell their stories in planning, development, and applying for DOT grants. Though these webinars are not specific to the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program, they provide helpful information on how to enhance an application.

• Part 1 of the webinar series was held on Monday, July 22, 2024.
• Part 2 of the webinar series will be held on Thursday, August 15, 2024, at 3:00 PM ET. The webinar will introduce participants to DOT’s Equitable Transportation Community (ETC) Explorer tool and provide detailed information on how to use the tool to map a project area, identify how a community is experiencing disadvantage, and evaluate project benefits to a community. This information will build on the content presented during Part 1 of the webinar series.

Register for the webinar series here.  

Both webinars will be recorded and posted on the DOT Navigator.