Small Communities Could Lose Out on Infrastructure Funding

Awarding federal funding via competitive grants could block grant opportunities for communities that need them the most.

1 minute read

January 13, 2022, 7:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Stormwater Infrastructure

Presidio of Monterey / Flickr

As the Biden administration prepares to distribute billions in infrastructure funding to cities and states via competitive grants, some experts caution that many smaller and rural communities, lacking the institutional capacity to prepare slick grant applications and proposals, will be left out.

As Jake Blumgart writes, "Metro areas like Boston have a deep bench of experienced planners, a rich network of foundations and community development corporations, and organized business groups that push for transit and housing reform. But what about rural areas, deindustrialized Midwestern regions, or traditionally low tax and low service corners of the country like much of the American South?" 

Most grants also require a 20 percent match, which may pose a challenge for poorer communities. "If federal agencies judge applicants by their capacity to draft and execute complex and resource-intensive projects, areas with smaller populations and smaller tax bases may suffer," says Blumgart. Federal funding available via competitive grants includes money for transit, brownfield remediation and climate resilience, electric vehicle infrastructure, and highway removal.

With smaller communities at a structural disadvantage, experts like Bruce Katz of Drexel University suggest the federal government could bolster capacity-building grants and improve access to grant-writing support for jurisdictions that would otherwise have a hard time catching the attention of federal officials.

Tuesday, January 11, 2022 in Governing

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of California High-Speed Rail station with bullet train.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself

The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

May 19, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Two Rivian trucks charging at Rivian branded charging ports.

US Senate Reverses California EV Mandate

The state planned to phase out the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035, a goal some carmakers deemed impossible to meet.

May 22 - CALmatters

Metal U.S. Geodetic Survey marker in stone in Arizona.

Trump Cuts Decimate Mapping Agency

The National Geodetic Survey maintains and updates critical spatial reference systems used extensively in both the public and private sectors.

May 22 - Wired

Close-up of 10 mph speed limit sign.

Washington Passes First US ‘Shared Streets’ Law

Cities will be allowed to lower speed limits to 10 miles per hour and prioritize pedestrians on certain streets.

May 22 - The Urbanist