RCAP to Assist Under-Resourced Communities in Pursuing Transformative Infrastructure Improvements Under DOT’s Thriving Communities Program
RCAP will support 16 Main Street Communities as a National TCP Capacity Builder
Washington, D.C. (April 22, 2024) – The Rural Community Assistance Partnership Incorporated (RCAP) is being awarded $4.25 million by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide project-level technical assistance, planning, and capacity building support to 16 rural and Tribal communities as part of the FY 2023 Thriving Communities Program (TCP). As one of three National TCP Capacity Builder teams, RCAP will manage the Main Streets Community of Practice, serving as a navigator to connect communities with other resources, and working with communities to transition them toward long-term sustainability.
The Thriving Communities Program provides three years of no-cost, intensive technical assistance and peer learning support to under-resourced and disadvantaged communities to help them identify, develop, and deliver transportation projects to achieve locally-driven economic development, health, environment, mobility, and access goals.
Together with five of its regional partners, Communities Unlimited, Great Lakes Community Action Partnership, Midwest Assistance Program, RCAP Solutions, and Rural Community Assistance Corporation, and external partners, Community Engineering Corps and the National Association of Development Organizations, RCAP will assist these communities in master planning efforts, including preparing grant application materials, commencing pre-development and project delivery activities, designing and deploying more inclusive community engagement strategies, and encouraging small business and workforce development.
“We are thrilled to continue to partner with DOT to expand our holistic community-led rural development efforts to 16 additional rural and Tribal communities across the country to help them become more resilient and sustainable,” said Sarah Buck, RCAP’s Chief Programs Officer.
Over the past year, RCAP has been a subcontractor under the FY 2022 TCP, assisting downtowns in 20 rural and Tribal areas in increasing their awareness of federal funding opportunities and helping them with application assistance and pre-development requirements, preparing community leaders to implement infrastructure and community development projects, and building lasting local capacity for carrying out project work. Expanding upon this existing work and leading the FY 2023 Main Streets Community of Practice now provides RCAP the opportunity to build on best practices and resources to support the new FY 2023 TCP Main Streets cohort. RCAP will continue to use its 50 years of expertise in water/wastewater and regional collaboration and broader community development to ensure projects are coordinated, collaborative, affordable, and sustainable.
For more information on the Thriving Communities Program including selected communities, visit this webpage.
About RCAP
RCAP is a national non-profit network providing opportunity, assistance, and practical guidance to small communities in all fifty states, the U.S. territories, and on Tribal lands to ensure access to safe drinking water, sanitary waste disposal, and economic prosperity for rural America. RCAP and its more than 350 technical assistance providers work together with rural communities and partners across the country to elevate rural voices and build long-term local capacity to improve quality of life, starting at the tap.
Media Contact:
Seth Johnson
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