3. Revise funding structures to make Justice40 programs across all federal agencies accessible and inclusive
Reduce application burdens and make funding more accessible to enable lesser-resourced localities to compete.
The current structure of many federal funding programs favors larger, well-resourced applicants, who may already have plans in place and projects planned, or who have the resources to hire consultants and contractors to supplement their capacity. To ensure that funding reaches lesser-resourced localities, the federal government should restructure programs to reduce application burdens and level the playing field. These may include directing federal agencies to provide more time for communities to complete applications, simplifying application processes (by, for instance, shortening the applications, consolidating applications for multiple related programs, or creating a standardized application across all agency programs), or considering alternative structures, such as rolling applications that allow communities to apply when they are ready or special applications processes that reduce burdens for communities with the greatest need.
To make federal funding accessible to the communities Justice40 is intended to reach, the administration should also direct agencies to publish program information and notices of funding opportunities in multiple languages, host informational webinars and other engagement sessions to provide community members and local governments the opportunity to ask questions and obtain more information, and partner with community-based organizations to conduct active outreach to communities with the greatest burdens to make them aware of relevant opportunities (see recommendation 2: Meaningfully engage communities).
Allocate appropriate time and funding for planning and community engagement.
Short turnaround times between the announcement of available funding and application due dates also tend to favor “shovel-ready” projects, which are often status quo projects proposed by applicants who have prior experience using federal funds. Short turnarounds do not provide the time necessary for applicants to undertake a meaningful planning process, let alone engage members of their communities in that process. To ensure that federal funding reaches the communities that need it most, and that it funds projects that will result in the desired economic, equity, and climate benefits for community members, the administration should direct federal agencies to revise their application processes to provide sufficient time for applicants to meaningfully engage members of the community during the planning process, as well as to develop funding structures that support the time and resources necessary for meaningful community engagement throughout the lifecycle of a project (see recommendation 2: Meaningfully engage communities).
Design programs and incentives to create long-lasting change rather than quick wins.
Change does not happen overnight, especially when it comes to systemic and structural issues like climate change, equity, and economic health. Despite this, federal funding programs, including many currently covered by Justice40, are short-term in nature, which risks short-term solutions. Federal programs should instead be designed to provide long-term funding which will allow recipients to create plans that will generate long-lasting change. For example, expanding the use of revolving loan fund programs (while making them more accessible) would enable funding to be “recycled” in perpetuity.
Federal funding should also include provisions for ongoing operations and maintenance costs, especially when it comes to infrastructure projects, to ensure that projects avoid becoming liabilities to the communities they are intended to serve and continue to generate benefits for communities in the longer term, including through the local jobs that ongoing operations and maintenance activities support. This can be done by directing federal agencies to require that funding recipients develop sustainable, long-term plans for funding operations and maintenance needs over the lifetime of their projects, and to provide the funding and technical assistance needed to develop these plans.
Remove cost-sharing requirements for the most “disadvantaged” communities.
Many federal programs have cost-sharing requirements, which are often not waived for low-income or otherwise less-resourced communities. These requirements further disadvantage many of the communities Justice40 intends to benefit and may deter them for applying for funding, regardless of the scale of need. The administration should direct federal agencies to exempt Justice40-eligible communities from cost-sharing requirements to ensure that Justice40 funding is accessible to the communities it intends to benefit.