Does your community or homeowners association need large-scale improvements but doesn’t have the money to complete them? Delaying repairs and maintenance to community infrastructure and common areas leads to digestible expenses becoming exorbitant costs, severely overburdening homeowners with special assessments. The trending theme for 2023 is investing in community amenities and infrastructure connecting and enhancing the quality of life for all neighborhoods. With this goal in mind, HOAs and municipalities look for ways to stretch community dollars, such as matching grant programs.
Double The Distance of the Dollar With Matching Grants
Local governments and communities navigate significant problems with small to medium-sized budgets. HOAs reserve funds have limited usage, and some reserve studies neglect to include big-ticket items such as underground infrastructure. Unforeseen expenditures mean seeking recovery by special assessing homeowners. Matching grant programs provide relief to HOAs and local government budgets by extending what HOAs can afford.
Matching grants are designed to assist communities by matching the community’s investment. Depending on your state, grants will cover a certain amount of the expenses or match dollar for dollar. In some cases, grants are specific in what funds can be used for, similar to reserve funds. For example, most grants are applicable for funds that are used to improve an entire community rather than relevant to improvements that would benefit a few people out of a whole community. Small community and city grants, such as the $10,000 grant from Community Heart & Soul call for community participation by setting achievable goals to help communities thrive.
Other Community Grants
The EPA has made available over $52 million in funding to assist communities with large-scale water projects. Many states, such as New Jersey, have been awarded grants to convert combined sewer systems and address overflow and flooding. HOAs are eligible for EPA grants for:
- Culvert rehabilitation
- Combined sewer systems
- Pipe relining
- Aging infrastructure
- Manhole rehabilitation
- Stormwater systems
- Clean water initiatives
- Drainage renovations; and
- several other water problems, including contaminants
Funds are available for distressed communities with the BiPartisan Infrastructure Law. Alongside grants from the EPA, these grants are available at the Regional Planning Commission’s website:
- Engineering Planning Grant
- Water Quality Improvement Project
- Wastewater Infrastructure Engineering Planning Grant
- Clean Water Infrastructure Septic Program
- CWIA Inter-Municipal Grant Program
- Water Infrastructure Improvement Act Grants
- Integrated Solutions Construction Grant Program
- Green Innovation Grant Program
- Community Development Block Grants
Community programs such as Choice Neighborhoods offer Planning and Implementation Grants. Per their website:
- Planning Grants offer up to $500,000 per grantee to communities to fund a two-year planning process to create a community-driven “Transformation Plan” that addresses the program’s “Housing, People, and Neighborhood” goals.
- Implementation Grants provide up to $50 million per grantee to implement the Transformation Plan. Planning Grants are not required for a future Implementation Grant, though they are a significant first step to meaningfully engaging a community and planning for comprehensive neighborhood revitalization.
Standard Pipe Services, LLC is proud to assist HOAs, municipalities, and local governments in finding the means to achieve community goals. Contact us to collaborate on your community infrastructure projects. Keep informed and contact us or follow us on LinkedIn and FaceBook.
