Federal Funding Sources for Main Streets
This resource from Main Street America offers a list of over 25 grant programs that can be used on Main Streets, with key information like eligible entities and matching requirements.
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Connect with usMarion, Iowa © Tasha Sams
Trabajamos en colaboración con miles de socios locales y líderes de base de todo el país que comparten nuestro compromiso de fomentar la prosperidad compartida, crear economías resistentes y mejorar la calidad de vida.
Emporia, Kansas © Emporia Main Street
Formadas por pueblos pequeños, comunidades de tamaño medio y distritos comerciales urbanos, las miles de organizaciones, personas, voluntarios y líderes locales que componen Main Street America™ representan la amplia diversidad que hace que este país sea tan singular.
Chicago, Illinois © Main Street America
¿Busca estrategias y herramientas que le ayuden en su trabajo? Sumérgete en el Centro de Recursos de Main Street y explora una amplia gama de recursos, entre los que se incluyen nuestro extenso Centro de Conocimientos, oportunidades de desarrollo profesional, ofertas de servicios sobre el terreno, apoyo a la promoción y mucho más.
Waterloo, Iowa © Main Street Waterloo
Su ventanilla única para conocer las últimas historias, noticias, eventos y oportunidades -incluidas subvenciones y programas de financiación- en Main Street.
Kendall Whittier - Tulsa, Oklahoma © Kendall Whittier Main Street
Únase a nosotros en nuestro trabajo para fomentar la prosperidad compartida, crear economías fuertes y mejorar la calidad de vida en los centros y distritos comerciales de los barrios.
Streetscapes play an important role in the design and economy of your downtown. © sanfel
Main Streets are central transportation arteries, with over 75% of Main Street programs bisected by a state highway. Often, these streets can be messy to manage and unsafe for pedestrians. But they can also play a role in key strategies to reduce emissions, increase quality of life, and enhance economic outcomes. Together, we can work towards recognizing the value of our Main Streets and creating plans to improve them.
Recently, Main Street America CEO Erin Barnes spoke at the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Symposium on Transportation and Climate to share how Main Streets are essential to creating environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable communities. Erin joined USDOT’s Kristin White, Deputy Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, and a panel of rural and tribal experts to discuss the nexus of downtown revitalization, transportation, and emissions reduction
Main Street America is grateful to the USDOT, including our colleagues on the Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES) team. This month, Members of USDOT, joined by the MSA Government Relations team, offered a webinar highlighting two federal grant opportunities for Main Streets: The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program and The Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) grant program.
I think we have to listen to local concerns and meet folks — wherever they are, where they are. Rural thinking is not one homogeneous group — so what works in one rural place won’t work in another.
On July 11 and 12, USDOT hosted a Symposium on Transportation and Climate, gathering decisionmakers from the private and public sectors working across siloes towards transportation decarbonization, transformation, accessible communities, and mobility freedom for all. The event recognized climate champions and innovative decision makers from across the country.
The symposium included a panel entitled “Revitalizing Downtowns: Tribal and Rural Leadership,” where Main Street America CEO Erin Barnes joined panelists Julie Fitzpatrick, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Downtown Center, Mayor John McArdle, Independence, OR, and Levi Brown, Director of Tribal Affairs, MnDOT to discuss the overlap between downtown revitalization, transportation, and climate strategies.
Erin described three key criteria for revitalizing rural communities in the context of reducing emissions and combatting climate change: land use, adaptive reuse of buildings, and transportation. Reinvestment in Main Street corridors naturally mitigates greenhouse gas emissions by reducing sprawl, focusing on the existing energy and infrastructure grids, and pouring less concrete. Additionally, she noted the vital role of adaptive reuse of buildings, a key decarbonization strategy. Key to the conversation, Erin explained that slower traffic and safer streets means better economic impact for small businesses, and how street design coupled with green strategies can play a part in downtown redevelopment.
Describing the work of Pennsylvania Downtown Center (PDC), Julie explained the long-term partnership between PDC and several state agencies to create active transportation systems as part of the vitalization of Pennsylvania’s boroughs. Through PDC’s WalkWorks and Nature-Base Placemaking programs, they support collaborative approaches to improving transportation for both recreational users and everyday commuters and residents.
Noting the need for technical assistance to implement climate change strategies, Erin encouraged USDOT to expand capacity building programs, like the Thriving Communities Program, which positions communities to assess their unique needs and assets and determine where additional resources could address infrastructure gaps.
Erin Barnes, Main Street America, Julie Fitzpatrick, Pennsylvania Downtown Center, Mayor John McArdle, Independence, OR, and Levi Brown, MnDOT, speak at the DOT event. © Main Street America
Erin Barnes and Julie Fitzpatrick shared examples of ways that Main Streets can support transportation and reduce climate change. © Main Street America
Main Street America is excited to work with USDOT partners to broadcast federal resources to our network. Earlier this month, the Government Relations team invited representatives from USDOT along with a city planner and economic developer from Madison Heights, Michigan to discuss federal transportation resources for Main Streets.
Paul Teicher, Transportation Policy Analyst at USDOT, described the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program, which provides funding and technical assistance for communities to prevent roadway fatalities. Jeff Peele, Deployment Manager at Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, described the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) program, which provides funding for communities to build EV charging infrastructure.
Additionally, Giles Tucker, Community and Economic Development Director in Madison Heights, Michigan, and Matt Lonnerstater, City Planner in Madison Heights, Michigan, discussed their involvement in a SS4A planning grant, and the connection with their community’s roadway reconfiguration effort and long-term comprehensive planning. Matt and Giles explained the ways in which they collaborated with their neighbors to secure federal funding and coordinate on a regional approach to transportation planning.
Main Streets are vital community arteries connecting us to our neighbors and businesses. But the streets themselves are often too wide, uncontrolled, inaccessible, and move vehicles too fast. Many communities struggle to balance the movement of vehicles with pedestrians and bicyclists while navigating community input and economic impact.
In the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Congress recognized the need to help communities address dangerous streets and created the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. Planning and Demonstration Grants – one of two types of assistance available under the SS4A program – are open for application until August 29, 2024.
How to Get Started
Review the SS4A website and Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to determine if your project is a good fit for the program. The Frequently Asked Questions page addresses common programmatic questions, and recorded webinars provide additional information to aid applicants.
Carefully follow the requirements described in Section D of the NOFO to prepare your application. If your application does not include the required components in the required format, it may not be considered.
We are here to help! Main Street America encourages communities interested in applying for SS4A to communicate with us at advocacy@mainstreet.org or our member community, the Point, to share questions and receive support.
Main Streets have carried all sorts of people and vehicles throughout U.S. history from horse and buggy to gas-powered automobile. The 21st century has seen the rise of electric vehicles (EVs), but Main Streets often lack the infrastructure and charging stations needed to ensure a robust and reliable EV network.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included funds to strategically deploy publicly accessible EV charging and alternative fueling infrastructure in the place people live and work. Grant applications to support this infrastructure are available through the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) until August 28, 2024.
How to Get Started
Review the CFI website and Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to determine if your project is a good fit for the program. Carefully follow the requirements described in the NOFO to prepare your application. Reach out to CFIGrants@dot.gov by July 29 with any questions about the application.
We are here to help! Main Street America encourages communities interested in applying for CFI to communicate with us at advocacy@mainstreet.org or our member community, the Point, to share questions and receive support.
Interested in other federal funding opportunities? Check out Main Street America’s new Federal Funding Guide to learn about programs and approaches to partnership.
This resource from Main Street America offers a list of over 25 grant programs that can be used on Main Streets, with key information like eligible entities and matching requirements.
Danville, Virginia © River District Association