Southwestern Pennsylvania Municipal Project Hub launches in Brackenridge to help towns access federal funding

Brackenridge Mayor Lindsay Fraser was surprised when her small town was approached to host a news conference to launch the SWPA Municipal Project Hub.

But she also found it fitting.

“There is a generationally historic amount of federal infrastructure money available to towns just like Brackenridge, to communities in Allegheny County,” Fraser said.

The SWPA Municipal Project Hub, announced Tuesday, is a new regional initiative supporting local government and nonprofit leaders across 10 counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania to help access federal funding.

The hub will roll out gradually over the next couple of weeks, said CEO Brittany Reno, who also is Sharpsburg’s mayor.

It aims to provide support to municipalities, school districts and nonprofits to collaboratively acquire federal infrastructure and sustainable economic development funding for communities.

“We are a community that stands on tradition, and we are just so excited to be able to link into this historic investment to really update our resources and our infrastructure,” Fraser said.

Reno pointed to what she called historic funding available through the federal Inflation Reduction Act, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The Heinz Endowments provided startup funding for the hub.

“The Heinz Endowments is committed to helping our region maximize the historic funding opportunity that the bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act offer for infrastructure, economic development and climate-friendly projects,” said Matt Barron, program director for sustainability at the Heinz Endowments, in a statement.

“We know that many towns, school districts and nonprofit organizations across Southwestern Pennsylvania don’t have the time, the staff capacity or the resources to go after these opportunities alone. The hub will be the partner they need.”

The hub will provide grant writing, project development assistance, legal guidance and communications to municipalities, school districts and nonprofits, Barron said.

“Southwestern Pennsylvania is at the dawn of a transformational turning point in its history,” Reno said. “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.

“Think about everything our local communities could accomplish together if they had the resources and support to tackle many of our region’s biggest challenges and opportunities. Now, they will.”