Community Grant Support Program

Community Grant Support Program

As part of the I-35 Capital Express Central project (Central project), the Texas Department of Transportation has established a grant support program. The program’s purpose will be to help direct resources and expertise to community organizations, agencies and groups during construction of the Central project.

 

Who does this benefit?

The Central project team is implementing a grant support program to aid community-based groups, government stakeholders, and local institutions in the identification of funding resources, assist in grant writing and administration, and provide additional technical services as necessary.

The program will support:

  • Local community groups.
  • Non-Profits.
  • Neighborhood groups.
  • Business community organizations.

The focus is to assist organizations that:

  • Are a non-profit charitable organization, as defined by IRS 501(c)3,
  • Have employed 4 or fewer full time equivalent staff for less than 3 years,
  • Provide a service that directly assists people located along the I-35 corridor impacted by the I-35 project, and
  • Are looking to increase their grant development capacity through the Program.

 

Grant Support Activities and Deliverables

The following is a list of possible assistance the Central project team will provide throughout the grant support program:

  • Support Grant Writing – Examples:
    • Redline of draft and final applications.
    • Suggestions of data sources.
    • Assistance with cost estimating.
  • Identify Funding Sources and Grants -Examples:
    • Review of existing cash flow.
    • Grant research.
    • Calendar application milestones.
  • Develop Systems that Improve Grant Compliance – Examples:
    • Review progress reports.
    • Provide guidance on grant application procedures.
  • Supplement Training and Workforce Capacity – Examples:
    • Technical Workshops geared to local community.
    • Peer learning.
    • Connecting communities to other technical assistance resources/networks.
    • Bridging new partnerships.
  • Build Community Capacity – Examples:
    • Identifying grants that allow funding salaries.
    • Facilitation of long-term partnerships.

 

Upcoming Community Events

 

For additional project information or to provide comments, please contact: CapExCentral@txdot.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions

The program’s purpose is to help direct resources and expertise to community organizations, agencies and groups throughout the Central project corridor and Austin region before and during construction.

To assist those with limited capacity, activities could include:

  • Reviewing grant applications.
  • Providing guidance on grant application processes and procedures.
  • Drafting responses to narrative portions of grant applications, which can be covered by this program on a case-by-case basis for eligible entities. *
  • Providing community presentations and workshops.

The following activities are not within the scope of the program:

  • Leading grant application development.
  • Revising multiple drafts of grant applications for those eligible entities as defined above.
  • TxDOT being named “Lead Applicant” on a grant application or being a direct recipient of funds. However, TxDOT may provide letters of support for grant applications.
  • TxDOT providing matching funds for grant applications.