A digest of infrastructure news and funding opportunities. 

The What Works Plus (WW+) funder collaborative is a partnership coordination hub across philanthropy, government, and nonprofits to advance equity and climate resilience through thoughtful implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)’s once-in-a-generation investment in America's infrastructure.

OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE WITH WW+

A snapshot of learning events and high-impact BIL implementation-related opportunities in need of philanthropic support. If you would like more information about the following opportunities, contact info@whatworksplus.com.

You’re Invited!: “Public and Private Procurement as a Driver of Economic Inclusion” Learning Event

What: WW+ is excited to collaborate with Brookings Metro and Living Cities on a two-part webinar series focused on how we can diversify the supply chain, create good jobs and resilient economies, and help close racial wealth gaps through inclusive procurement. 

Who: The session will feature speakers in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, and is open to all interested.

When: September 2022 *more details to follow

Funding Opportunity: State and County Capacity Building with Results For America (RFA)

The Gap: States will decide about 75% of BIL funding allocations, but need additional capacity and coordination to maximize this opportunity to advance equity and climate resilience in their states. Counties also need support accessing and using BIL funding.

The Opportunity: WW+ and RFA will address these challenges by 1) Supporting a Community of Practice for State Infrastructure Coordinators, 2) Helping counties access and use BIL funds to advance economic mobility and equity goals and 3) Lifting up proof points and success stories to help local leaders learn from peer-jurisdictions. Learn more about this opportunity here and/or by contacting info@whatworksplus.com.  

Funding Opportunity: Federal Capacity Building with The Partnership for Public Service

The Gap: A federal workforce that has been largely neglected and underdeveloped for decades is now being called upon to implement federal assistance that is unparalleled in our generation regarding its scope and complexity.

The Opportunity: Partner with the Partnership for Public Service to support federal government capacity building through: 1) A “talent loan” program to fill mission-critical federal government roles, 2) A leadership development program to prepare federal leaders’ collaboration with communities, and 3) Peer-learning and coordination networks for federal leaders. Learn more about this opportunity here and/or by contacting info@whatworksplus.com. 

CORE MEMBER SPOTLIGHTS

Have a notable infrastructure-related investment, partnership or event coming up? Let us know at info@whatworksplus.com to be featured next month.

• The Irvine Foundation made a $14 million grant to the Sierra Health Foundation to build nonprofit capacity so that organizations, particularly those led by people of color, can better secure public funds to advance economic and environmental equity. 

• The Kresge Foundation, along with 23 other organizations, joined forces with the federal government to create the Economic Opportunity Coalition (EOC), which will catalyze and align public-private investments to address economic disparities and accelerate economic opportunities in underserved communities across the country. 

INFRASTRUCTURE NEWS UPDATES

A snapshot of this month’s key infrastructure news. 

Climate:

• The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) — the single largest climate investment in U.S. history — was signed into law by President Biden. The IRA's $369 billion supports investments in energy and climate reform, with the goal of reducing US greenhouse gas emissions by 40% (below 2005 levels) by 2030 and creating over 9 million clean energy jobs. President Biden also signed into law the CHIPS and Science Act, which will accelerate efforts to manufacture more zero-carbon technology in America, establish a new federal office to organize clean-energy innovation, and direct billions of dollars toward disaster-resilience research. Following this legislation, the White House is also planning a series of executive actions to help combat climate change, including new regulations on emissions from vehicle tailpipes, power plants and oil and gas wells.

• With funding assistance from the BIL, funding for two FEMA competitive grant programs that will help communities prepare for climate-driven disasters including floods, hurricanes, and wildfires, has increased to over $3 billion: the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program is doubling to nearly $2.3 billion, and the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program is seeing a fivefold increase in funding to $800 million. Aligning with the White House’s Justice40 Initiative, the programs aim to deliver 40% of the overall benefits of these investments to historically marginalized, overburdened, and underserved communities, by adjusting eligibility and prioritization criteria and providing direct technical assistance to help communities compete for funding.

• All 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico have submitted Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure deployment plans, as requested for the BIL’s National EV Infrastructure Formula Program. These plans are required to unlock the first round of BIL’s $5 billion, which will help states meet President Biden’s commitment to build 500,000 EV chargers by 2030.

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced up to $50 million available for new Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (EJ TCTAC), which will provide technical assistance, training, and capacity-building support to communities with environmental justice and energy concerns.

Good Jobs & Procurement:

• The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA)  announced the 32 winners (selected from 509 applicants) of the $500 million Good Jobs Challenge. These projects involve equitable workforce training partnerships that will support local economies and place 50,000 workers in quality jobs.

• The White House awarded a record amount of contracting dollars to small businesses, including underserved small businesses, in FY21- a significant step towards meeting the administration’s goal of ensuring that 15% of federal contracts go to Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDBs) by 2025.

Broadband:

• The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) is in the process of updating its current broadband maps. Third parties, including public interest groups, may submit high-speed broadband availability data (representing January 1-June 30, 2022) to the FCC by September 1, 2022, in order to help inform funding distribution.

• Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) enrollment has increased around 35% since May. Since then, over 1 million new households have received a $30/month discount toward the cost of internet service.

• The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $401 million in high-speed internet funding through the ReConnect program, which will expand and improve high-speed internet for 31,000 rural homes and businesses in 11 states.

New Resources:

• The White House released state-by-state BIL-related fact sheets for all 50 states, territories, DC, and tribal communities, which describe state funding allocations and highlight signature state projects.

WW+ Infrastructure Bulletin: August Edition