New hub will help municipalities go after federal infrastructure, clean energy funding
Pittsburgh Business Times
February 9, 2024
Local government officials looking for a leg up on accessing the flood of federal infrastructure and clean energy funds available via the Inflation Reduction Act and other laws are getting help with a new organization.
The SWPA Municipal Project Hub is being launched Tuesday and is designed to be a resource for local governments as they work to apply for the funding. It will include technical assistance and resources to plan and fund community development projects from the IRA and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The hub is part of a $10 million investment announced by The Heinz Endowments earlier this week. The Heinz Endowments and others, including Reimagine Appalachia and the Pennsylvania Solar Center, have been working to create opportunities for Pennsylvania through the IRA. A study cited by the Heinz Endowments said Pennsylvania is lagging behind in terms of jobs created through the IRA: 457 in the commonwealth in its first year compared to 13,555 in nearby New York.
Organizers say the region has the need to access the funding but limited resource for municipalities, school districts, redevelopment authorities and nonprofits to apply for funding.
“Southwestern Pennsylvania is at the dawn of a transformational turning point in its history,” said Brittany Reno, the mayor of Sharpsburg who is also the CEO of the SWPA Municipal Projects Hub. “We need local governments to be able to take advantage of this unparalleled opportunity to access new federal infrastructure and clean energy funds but right now, most just don’t have the capacity.”
She added: “Think about everything that our local communities could accomplish together if they just had the resources and support needed to tackle so many of our region’s biggest challenges and opportunities. Now they will.”
Further details will be provided during a formal announcement Tuesday.
“We believe that these programs will accelerate a shift of business, government, and civic sectors toward a more sustainable orientation in the long term,” said Andrew McElwaine, sustainability VP at the Heinz Endowments.