The New Grant Criteria Aren't 'Check-the-Box'

Across USDOT’s discretionary programs, community and equity criteria have moved from footnote to deciding factor. Reviewers increasingly reward applicants who can show authentic engagement with the constituencies a project affects — not boilerplate. Meeting that bar takes either a demonstrated track record or a credible, specific plan to engage. It’s exactly the kind of work that sits at the intersection of economic development and community relations — and it’s where a strong application separates from the pack.

Not a compliance exercise

Community and equity criteria have become central to how federal reviewers score discretionary grant applications — and they are not “check-the-box” requirements. Successful applicants (and their private-sector partners) will need to show either (1) a track record of authentic engagement with these constituencies across their enterprises and over time, or (2) a recognition of — and an associated plan to — authentically engage them as part of the project seeking support. Reviewers can tell the difference between genuine engagement and last-minute box-checking.

Prosody’s experience as both economic-development and community-engagement experts can help your application stand out by:

• Highlighting your efforts in these areas to date;
• Creating an action plan to address these issues;
• Engaging with the local and regional stakeholders impacted by the project;
• Managing the communications effort (including broadcast and print media); and
• Ensuring the project puts its best, most creative foot forward — from grant application through Notice to Proceed to completion.

Done well, this isn’t a compliance exercise. It’s a competitive advantage — and increasingly, it’s the margin between an application that wins and one that doesn’t.

Related reading

• It’s Always Government Finance Season
• Economic Development as a Path to Policy Change
• 3rd Annual RAISE Analytics (2024)

Prosody pairs grant strategy with real community engagement so your application reads as authentic — because reviewers can tell the difference. Talk to us about your project →