Since its passage in 2021, billions of dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) have been deployed across all fifty states to fund hundreds of critical local infrastructure projects in communities big and small. While we’re witnessing unprecedented levels of engagement across BIL programs, still too many localities remain on the sidelines letting this once in a generation opportunity pass by.

Transformative Projects Case Stories

In an effort to inspire more cities and local leaders to go after federal infrastructure funding, the Nowak Lab has partnered with Accelerator for America to contribute to the Local Infrastructure Hub by producing 'Transformative Projects' case stories. These case stories focus on projects funded by specific programs within the BIL and Inflation Reduction Act.

Beginning with a description of the problems that needed solving, the case stories detail how local leaders approached project development, engaged partners and the community, and secured the funding necessary for implementation. Featured stories show how infrastructure projects can be used to advance economic mobility, racial equity, environmental sustainability, and overall community resilience.

Transformative Projects case stories:

• Reconnecting Kalamazoo

• Building Resilience for Kalamazoo’s Transportation Network

• Bridge Sustainability in NW Philadelphia

• Market-Driven Fiber Deployment Case Story (Mesa, AZ)

• Municipal Fiber Deployment Case Story (Waterloo, IA)

• ResilienCity Park Case Story (Hoboken, NJ)

• Multimodal Transit Transfer Center (Lincoln, NE)

• Fleet Electrification in Madison

• Innovative Climate Financing in Denver

• Safe Streets for All in Tampa

• Funding Technology Driven Innovations in Transportation Safety Through the BIL in Chattanooga

• Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants in Tucson, AZ

• Investing in the Gold Star Memorial Bridge in Connecticut

• Charging and Fueling Infrastructure in Athens, Ohio

Other LIH resources produced by the Nowak Lab:

• Introduction to the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

• Transportation Electrification

• Resilient Transportation

Funding Pathfinder

The Nowak Lab and Accelerator for America have also jointly developed the Funding Pathfinder, which is available through the Local Infrastructure Hub.

The Funding Pathfinder is a brief, interactive survey that uses local infrastructure project data to curate a bespoke collection of eligible federal funding programs for pursuit along with published resources to aid grant preparation and research.

These resources include:

• Links to each program’s federal webpage;

• Guidance that breaks down various BIL and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) programs;

• Collections of ‘Winning Strategies’ research that compile trends across successful discretionary program applications;

• ‘Transformative Projects’ case stories that highlight local governments that have secured federal grant funding, and how they approached project development in their communities, and much more.

The tool will be regularly updated with the latest data on relevant federal programs, additional resources, and other programmatic information as they are developed. The tool also allows users to send their Pathfinder results directly to their inbox, as well as connect with the Local Infrastructure Hub to provide feedback or request further assistance.

For more information, please contact Benjamin Weiser at blw94@drexel.edu.