Free ‘Bootcamps’ Help Small Cities Secure Federal Grants for Infrastructure

Smaller-sized cities are often at a disadvantage competing for billions of dollars in federal grants available largely because of lack of staff, in-house know-how, and other resources, according to a Route Fifty article by Elizabeth Daigneau. Fortunately, an initiative led by the National League of Cities is helping change that dynamic, offering free infrastructure “bootcamps” aimed at better equipping small cities and underserved communities to capture federal funding.

About 30 cities that participated in the Local Infrastructure Hub bootcamps won federal grants in the most recent round of Safe Streets and Roads for All program, Daigneau reports, including $10 million in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and $24 million in Dearborn, Michigan. The hub started in 2022 and to date has put 700 cities through its curriculum. 

The success rate for grant applicants that participated in a Local Infrastructure Hub bootcamp is 40 percent, compared to an average success rate of 5 percent for applicants of competitive grants in general, according to Robert Blaine, senior executive and director for the National League of Cities' Leadership, Education, Advancement, and Development Center.

The hub’s bootcamps are tied to specific grant programs, with modules mirroring different sections of the grant applications themselves. “The new series of classes will focus on six grant opportunities that address transportation, roadways, electric vehicle infrastructure, climate resilience and clean water improvements,” writes Daigneau. Registration for the third round of bootcamps opened last month.