Applying for Grants: Use Data to Tell Your Community’s Story to USDOT

Research done here at Minnesota and elsewhere has done much to define the problems of local communities with missing or declining infrastructure. USDOT offers federal assistance to build and improve that infrastructure, but the grants have to be won.

USDOT is hosting a two-part webinar series to help potential DOT grant applicants effectively tell their community’s story in the planning, project development, and/or grant application process.

Part 1 of the webinar series (July 22) will focus on how to identify and describe a project and its goals, identify users of the infrastructure or system, and determine the project’s impact area. Participants will receive step-by-step information and recommendations, and presenters will use examples to illustrate each of the concepts. The webinar will conclude with a brief Q&A session. The webinar will be recorded and posted on the DOT Navigator.

Part 2 of the webinar series (August 15) will introduce participants to DOT’s Equitable Transportation Community (ETC) Explorer tool and provide detailed information on how to use the tool to map a project area, identify how a community is experiencing disadvantage, and evaluate how project benefits may address the community’s disadvantage. This information will build on the content presented during Part 1 of the webinar series. Participants are encouraged to register for both or review the Part 1 materials before attending Part 2.

You can choose to attend one or more of the webinars.