The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act contains several current programs and one new pilot program that could provide funding for city parks. City Parks Alliance will be educating our members on how to access these funds in the coming year through webinars and online resources. Funding mechanisms for the pilot program have yet to be established.
For examples of how cities are using urban parks as critical infrastructure, check our “Parks as Infrastructure” series of case studies and videos to learn more.
Clean Water State Revolving Fund
$11.713 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF). The CWSRF program is a federal-state partnership that provides communities low-cost financing for a wide range of water quality infrastructure projects. This program includes a Green Infrastructure Set-aside. States must allocate no less than 10% of CWSRF for green infrastructure projects. Local park departments can partner with other departments (i.e. department of public works) to use some of this money to manage stormwater.
Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program
$1 billion towards the new Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program designed to remove, retrofit or mitigate freeways, restoring community connectivity. Priority would be focused on economically disadvantaged communities, which were historically most affected by the construction of freeways in the mid-century era.
Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program
$1 billion for the FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program. This is a pre-disaster mitigation program, supporting states, local communities, tribes and territories undertaking hazard mitigation projects to reduce the risks they face from disasters and natural hazards.
Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation (STORM) Act
$500 million for the STORM Act to provide support through loans and grants to local communities facing rising water levels, coastal erosion, and flooding that have put homes and property at risk and caused millions of dollars in damages.
Stay tuned for upcoming educational opportunities from the City Parks Alliance team to learn more about how to access these funds!
