Welcome to the Friday Update from the Federal Funding Hub!
This message shares news and resources so that our region can make the most of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and other federal funding.
Have you seen the state’s new IIJA website? Link below.
News from MSP Cities and Counties
Saint Paul: In one of the city's poorest neighborhoods, activists are forming a collective to spur affordable housing development. The county and the city are poised to put in $900,000 using federal American Rescue Plan money to fill that gap.
Sherburne County: Great River Regional Library (GRRL), went over the library’s budget in a presentation to the Sherburne County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, Sept. 20. GRRL is a six-county library system headquartered in St. Cloud consisting of 32 libraries and one to-go site in Sherburne, Wright, Stearns, Benton, Morrison and Todd counties. The new developments at GRRL, such as an effort to expand internet services in the parking lots of a number of libraries 24/7, including at the libraries in Elk River, Big Lake and Becker. The project is funded by money from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
Scott County: Scott County has been allocated $28.9 million in ARPA funding. Scott County created a dashboard of a summary of how ARPA funds are being allocated in accordance with eligibility requirements and in alignment with the County Board’s Strategic Plan.
Minnesota News
State IIJA webpage: Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) has launched a central IIJA webpage to help Minnesotans stay up to date with IIJA funding information. The page offers information on the IIJA impacts on Minnesota overall, links to various state agencies' IIJA-focused webpages, and technical assistance and information resources.
Metro State: Like institutions of higher education across the country, Metro State received funding through the U.S. Department of Education’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) III: The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021. These funds, appropriated by congress, provided direct financial relief to students, and assisted institutions to respond to the conditions of the pandemic.
National ARPA News
Affordable Housing: The U.S. Department of the Treasury has updated guidance that expands the use of the American Rescue Plan Act State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds for affordable housing.
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) News
IIJA Rollout: House Republicans say the Transportation Department is flouting Congress with how it is managing programs funded by the $1.2 trillion package.
Brownfields: The top Democratic and Republican lawmakers on the Senate public works committee signaled bipartisan interest on Wednesday in reworking the federal brownfields program, including helping rural and disadvantaged communities gain access to $1.5 billion in funding for it that is included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
National Park Service: The National Park Service is allocating $1.1 million from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to improve transportation in national parks, while partnering with the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to provide visitors with innovative, real-time travel information.
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) News
Energy Infrastructure Permitting: West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin wanted to speed environmental approvals for projects like power plants and pipelines. But he couldn’t muster the votes to tie his proposal to legislation needed to keep the federal government open. In return for getting Manchin to vote in favor of the Inflation Reduction Act, the massive climate, health care and tax law that President Biden signed last month, Schumer agreed to bring up Manchin’s proposal for a vote.
Revitalized U.S. Manufacturing: The Inflation Reduction Act is not just historic climate policy, its historic jobs policy, capable of creating an estimated 9 million jobs over the next ten years according to the Blue Green Alliance.
CHIPS Act News
Commerce: The U.S. Department of Commerce appointed 24 members to the Industrial Advisory Committee (IAC), an advisory body that will provide guidance to the Secretary of Commerce on a range of issues related to domestic semiconductor research and development in support of CHIPS for America.
China: A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday called on President Joe Biden to issue an executive order to boost oversight of investments by U.S. companies and individuals in China and other countries. The proposal was removed from bipartisan legislation to subsidize U.S. semiconductor chips manufacturing and research in a bill approved in August.
Upcoming Webinars
Grid Resilience funding opportunities: Commerce will host two informational seminars for entities thinking of applying to one or more of the IIJA Grid Resilience funding opportunities and who want to better understand the processes involved. Registration links to receive meeting invites are linked below.
Friday, September 30th, 10:00 -11:30 am
Tuesday, October 4th, 1:30-3:00 pm
Global Wellness Connections (GWC): Join Global Wellness Connections (GWC) and its partners are inviting you on October 7th from 8:30-10:00 am, and other leaders from across sectors and industries in the five state-Upper Midwest, to the roll-out briefing on the ‘Future of Wellbeing – Minnesota Leading the Way.’ Register here.
Join Route Fifty for Follow the Money 5: Fraud, Waste & Abuse! Learn more from industry experts about the potential misuse of these funds and how state/local governments can establish accountability and use these funds properly. While these investments are revolutionary, they also open up opportunities for fraud, waste, and abuse. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act along with the Inflation Reduction Act can provide great service to local governments, but it's also important to ensure these funds are not misallocated. Register here.
DOE Virtual workshop to gather information and structure funding opportunity: Stakeholders are invited to participate in an Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) workshop. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) has planned three workshops to inform the ERA program in preparation for a future funding opportunity announcement.
November 1-2, 2022. Virtual workshop
Resources
Great Lakes Federal Grant Navigation Program: NLC (National League of Cities) launched a free grant navigation program called the Great Lakes Federal Grant Navigation Program to assist local government staff with collecting the necessary data and applying for federal grants. Sign up here.
Upcoming Funding Deadlines
Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program due September 30th by 10:59 p.m. CT
All Stations Accessibility Program due September 30th
Solar Manufacturing Incubator due by October 3rd, 4:00 pm CT
Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program due on October 4th by 4:00 PM CT
Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers Program (EJ TCTAC) due October 4th, 10:59pm CDT
Community Geothermal Heating and Cooling Design and Deployment due October 11, 2022, 4pm CDT
U.S. Industry Opportunities for Advanced Nuclear Technology Development due October 11, 2022, by 4pm CDT
Reconnecting Communities due 10:59 PM CT on Thursday, October 13th
Grid Resilience and Innovative Partnerships (GRIP) due October 14th, 2022 by 4pm CDT
Collection, Transportation, Sorting, Processing, and Second-Life Applications for End-of-Life Lithium-Ion Batteries due October 14, 2022, by 4 pm CDT
Clean Hydrogen Production, Storage, Transport, and Utilization to Enable a Net-Zero Carbon Economy due October 25, 2022, by 10:59 pm CDT
ReConnect Loan and Grant Program due by November 2nd
Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs Due November 7, 2022
State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program due November 15, 2022
Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program due November 21, 2022, by 3:00 pm CT
Rare Earth Element Demonstration Facility (DOE) due November 21, 2022,
Multipurpose, Assessment, RLF, and Cleanup (MARC due November 22, 2022
The types of awards are as follows:
Assessment Grants provide funding for brownfield inventories, planning, environmental assessments, and community outreach.
Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grants provide funding to capitalize loans that are used to clean up brownfield sites.
Cleanup Grants provide funding to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites owned by the applicant.
Multipurpose (MP) Grants provide funding to conduct a range of eligible assessment and cleanup activities at one or more brownfield sites in a target area.
Job Training (JT) Grants provide environmental training for residents impacted by brownfield sites in their communities.
State and Tribal Response Program Grants provide non-competitive funding to establish or enhance State and Tribal Brownfields response programs.
Carbon Capture Technology Program, Front-end Engineering and Design for Carbon Dioxide Transport due November 28th
Hydrogen Shot and a University Research Consortium on Grid Resilience due December 1st, 4:00 pm CT
Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program due on December 1, 2022
Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response Research, Development and Demonstration Funding Opportunity due December 5th, 7:00 pm CT
Small Surface Water and Groundwater Storage Projects due December 9, 2022
Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization due December 20th, 2022, by 4pm CT
Notice of Intent (NOI)
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE): The DOE launched more than $28 Million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for research and development (R&D) projects that will advance and preserve hydropower as a critical source of clean energy. This Notice of Intent (NOI) will offer three funding opportunities this fall to support research, development, and deployment of hydropower, including pumped storage hydropower, which can play a key role in integrating variable renewable energy sources on the electric grid.
Have a great weekend, all!
Allison