How state transportation agencies can leverage community-based grants

In today's rapidly evolving world, state and local governments face the challenge of addressing a myriad of transportation issues—planning, performance management, multimodal solutions, accessibility, and more—within their communities. In particular, state departments of transportation (DOTs) and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) create community-based transportation plans to identify the most pressing transportation challenges for vulnerable communities and create strategies for improvement.

Community-based transportation plans

Community-based transportation plans can focus on improving transportation options and resilience within an economically disadvantaged or otherwise vulnerable community. These plans also connect to broader state and federal objectives such as safety, rural accessibility, and economic development. 

Key features of community-based transportation plans include:

• Community participation: Emphasizing community involvement is crucial. This includes engaging residents, community organizations, faith-based organizations, local governments, and other relevant state agencies in identifying transportation needs and potential solutions.
• Demographic analysis: Conducting a thorough analysis of the community's demographics is crucial to understanding the specific needs and challenges faced by different groups within the community.
• Identifying transportation gaps and barriers: Listing and prioritizing the transportation gaps and barriers that the vulnerable community faces help in developing targeted strategies and solutions to address these issues.
• Collaboration: Ensuring collaboration among various involved parties aids in meeting the needs of community residents and building support of local governments, transit agencies, and other relevant organizations.
• Community outreach: Documenting the results of community outreach efforts to ensure that the plan reflects the community's needs and preferences.

Federal planning grants can provide the necessary funding to help state DOTs and MPOs implement innovative and effective community-based transportation plans. Based on ICF’s deep experience in helping clients win these types of grants, we’ve identified four areas of focus to ensure that an application is comprehensive, inclusive, and effectively addresses the transportation needs of the community.

4 focus areas for applying for federal grants

• 1. Researching grant opportunities

  State DOTs and MPOs should track federal agencies' priorities and publicized grant opportunities. ICF leverages our deep federal experience with agencies like USDOT, EPA, and HUD to stay informed about grant opportunities and priorities. This approach helps us identify suitable grant opportunities for clients and to determine what is a good fit and what they’d be competitive to win.

  Grants.gov is the federal government's primary source for finding and applying for federal grants. State agencies can search for funding opportunities and determine their eligibility for federal grants on this platform.

• 2. Navigating the application process

  A common challenge state agencies and MPOs face in the grant application process is understanding award criteria. ICF's expertise in understanding award criteria and our use of data analysis tools helps clients navigate the application process more effectively.

  To be eligible for funding from a federal agency, a state DOT or MPO must meet specific requirements and standards. These include demonstrating the project's impact and proving the applicant's ability to execute the project effectively. These criteria are detailed in each grant opportunity on platforms like Grants.gov and should be carefully reviewed before applying.

• 3. Writing the grant application

  Crafting a successful federal grant application requires persuasive writing. ICF includes data analysis to support the application, which makes an application more competitive.

  State agencies and MPOs should align their application writing with the evaluation criteria of the grants by starting with a clear problem statement. Then, outline measurable goals and objectives. Next, demonstrate your organization's capacity to successfully achieve these goals and your community’s readiness and willingness to participate. Finally, ensure each application is well-written, concise, and adheres to all submission guidelines.

• 4. Developing work plans

  After securing federal funding, state agencies and MPOs must develop a detailed work plan. ICF develops work plans after winning grants with clients by following a structured approach that ensures alignment with federal agency needs and project goals.

  State agencies and MPOs need to create a work plan that includes post-win compliance, evaluation methods, and specific activities, timelines, and resource allocations to ensure efficient project execution.

Thriving Communities: New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT)

More than half of New York State’s 62 counties are classified as rural, with populations of fewer than 200,000. Recognizing that rural communities face hurdles and barriers that are profoundly different from the state’s larger urban places, ICF is supporting New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) to address the specific transportation needs of five rural communities, ensuring that "no community is left behind.”

The "Rural Connect: Empowering Community-Focused Transportation Solution" program with NYSDOT—which is part of the USDOT Thriving Communities Regional Pilot Program—is an example of effectively utilizing community-based transportation plans.

This program is aimed at meeting communities where they are and providing deep-dive technical assistance and planning to move projects and plans forward in these under-resourced communities in New York State. The goal is to ensure that these communities have the technical tools and organizational capacity to deliver quality infrastructure projects that increase mobility, are resilient to extreme weather events, and expand affordable transportation options. The program provides a scalable model that can be implemented in other states and communities.