With billions of dollars in infrastructure funding up for grabs, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Alexandria, is working to give a leg up to Virginia’s counties, cities, towns, tribes, and stakeholders.
On Tuesday, Warner unveiled a new resource webpage that will make these dollars as accessible as possible for Virginia localities as they prepare to compete for the funding, which was authorized by the bipartisan infrastructure law negotiated by Warner and signed by President Joe Biden.
“I’m excited to launch this page to help Virginia localities access the funding I was proud to negotiate and secure through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Virginia stands to gain a historic amount of competitive funding, but only if we apply and compete for it. This site will help connect Virginians to key resources and help them stay on top of grant and funding opportunities,” said Warner.
Among other things, the site:
- Visualizes application due dates with an interactive calendar, allowing users to better track deadlines.
- Filters grants by federal agency, allowing users to better locate grants that fit their needs.
- Enables users to easily request a letter from the Senator in support of a grant application.
- Provides a snapshot look at the funding that is already making its way to Virginia, and allows users to view in detail how that funding will be distributed and utilized throughout the Commonwealth.
This competitive funding comes in addition to billions of dollars in formula funding, also authorized by the bipartisan infrastructure law. Formula funding is non-competitive and determined by pre-existing formulas, which are based on statistical criteria. In general, states, localities, and other entities that normally receive infrastructure funding from Congress can expect to receive a boost of additional federal dollars, distributed through traditional programs.
The webpage may be accessed at https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/infrastructurelawresourcesforvirginia.
