Thriving Communities Program Capacity Builders Cooperative Agreements

4 Capacity Builders were selected for FY22 and 9 Capacity Builders (6 Regional and 3 National) were selected for FY23 funding. Each are under a cooperative agreement and are currently providing technical assistance (TA), planning, and capacity building to improve and foster thriving communities through transportation improvements. The selected organizations offer support to communities, enabling them to plan and develop a pipeline of transportation and community revitalization activities that increase mobility, reduce pollution from transportation sources, expand affordable transportation options, facilitate efficient land use, preserve or expand jobs, improve housing conditions, enhance connections to health care, education, and food security, or improve health outcomes.
The selected Capacity Builder organizations support Communities of Practice (or “cohorts”). Each Capacity Builder is assigned to a cohort; and paired with a set of 10-15 communities to provide the support detailed in the NOFO and finalized in their scope of work. The cohort model makes use of peer learning, customized services, and subject matter expertise. The FY22 and FY23 Communities of Practice include:

Main Streets – Focused on Tribal and rural communities and the interconnected transportation, community, and economic development issues they face. 

Complete Neighborhoods – Focused on urban and suburban communities located within Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) planning areas working to better coordinate transportation with land use, housing, and economic development.  

Networked Communities – Focused on those communities located near ports, airports, freight, and rail facilities to address mobility, access, housing, environmental justice, and economic issues.

FY23 added a Regional Cohort to include Alaska DOT, State of Colorado Office of Economic Recovery, Louisiana Division of Administration Planning Office, Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Division, and New York State DOT

Eligible applicants are non-profit organizations, state or local governments and their agencies (such as transit agencies or metropolitan planning organizations), Tribes, philanthropic entities, and other technical assistance providers with a demonstrated capacity to develop and provide technical assistance, planning, and capacity building.

Recipients of the technical assistance provided through TCP are state, local, or Tribal governments, United States territories, metropolitan planning organizations, regional transportation planning organizations, transit agencies, or other political subdivisions of state or local governments. DOT is establishing as a prerequisite to eligibility, that these governmental entities form coalitions, referred to as Community Partnerships (as described in the LOI), with organizations from within and outside the government that may also serve as local capacity building and technical assistance implementation partners and generate deeper community engagement particularly from historically under-represented populations and environmental justice stakeholders. The composition of these Community Partnerships will be at the discretion of each technical assistance recipient, but could include other government entities, nonprofits, non-governmental and community-based organizations, labor unions, advocacy groups, chambers of commerce and major employers or anchor institutions, and philanthropic organizations.

For each application, DOT staff will assess whether the applicant is eligible and submitted all the information requested for a complete application. Applications that may not have all the necessary components will be referred to an Evaluation Management Oversight Team, which will contact the applicant if it is determined they are an eligible applicant and request the missing information with a response time of 5 business days. Applicants that do not supply required information in this timeframe will be disqualified. Applications received from ineligible entities will not be considered for funding. Applicants who are determined to be ineligible will be notified in writing, and all determinations will be documented.