Brief: Federal Funding Implementation

Capacity Building and Technical Assistance Resources and Recommendations

Federal funds have flowed to every community in the nation through the American Rescue Plan, and more funds are available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and ongoing federal funding streams. Federal funds can make a huge impact on communities, but a lack of capacity at the local level can stand in the way. For small or under-resourced local governments, it can be a lack of capacity to find available funds, write grant applications, compile data, engage the community, and undertake reporting.

Additionally, they can struggle to stand up new programs and staff those programs. On the nonprofit side, again there are issues of capacity to do grant applications and reporting, as well as capacity constraints to break through and build relationships with governments and capacity to understand the timeline and the opportunity.

This brief offers examples of technical assistance and capacity-building programs aimed at local governments and nonprofits, as well as recommendations across the federal funding ecosystem, to break down these barriers.