Federal Assistance e311 Events
This page is dedicated to events and webinars hosted by the Federal Assistance e311 program. This program is a collaboration between Bloomberg Philanthropies and the U.S. Conference of Mayors which aims to help cities identify, obtain, and retain federal funding for COVID recovery and response efforts and infrastructure investments.
Recent Event
Obligating State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds
On December 10, U.S. Treasury officials and federal funding experts discussed obligation requirements, safe harbors and strategies for funding re-deployment post-obligation deadline.
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SLFRF obligation strategies and Q&A
With only a few weeks remaining, cities are working hard to meet the obligation deadline for SLFRF funds. On November 12 at 2pm EST, the federal reimbursement program, a partnership between Bloomberg Philanthropies and the United States Conference of Mayors, hosted a session where e311 experts and U.S. Treasury officials highlighted relevant strategies for using SLFRF and answered any last minute city questions.
Using SLFRF for Workforce & Small Businesses
On August 6, 2024, we hosted a webinar where Treasury officials, e311 experts, and a representative from the City of Mesa, AZ discussed SLFRF resources and strategies for workforce and small businesses.
Using SLFRF for Affordable Housing
Cities are exploring flexible uses of the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) for priorities like affordable housing, workforce, and small business before the obligation deadline. On July 16, 2:00 pm EST, the federal reimbursement program, a partnership between Bloomberg Philanthropies and the United States Conference of Mayors, hosted a session with U.S. Treasury officials to highlight strategies for using SLFRF funds for affordable housing production and preservation and the updated Affordable Housing How-To-Guide.
Update on Latest SLFRF Guidance with US Treasury
Joined by staff of the SLFRF program with the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Capital Access, this webinar covered recent Treasury clarifications on the definition of "obligate" and other expanded eligible uses of funds. The e311 Federal Assistance program has provided guidance to 1,400+ cities since 2020, regarding claiming and retaining federal funds. This workshop featured leadership from inter-tribal associations, non-profits, grant writers, and federal agencies, each of whom work with Tribal communities. Workshop speakers provided information about grants, loans, and tax credits available to Tribal governments for infrastructure, broadband, and energy, among other types of projects.
Federal Funding Assistance for Tribal Governments
The Bloomberg Philanthropies e311 Federal Assistance Program hosted a workshop to help Tribal Governments navigate the myriad federal funding opportunities. This workshop broke down barriers that at times can exist for Tribal Communities and highlighted successful Tribal project case studies.
Cybersecurity for Cities: A Bootstrapping Guide
City governments face a growing array of threats from cyberattacks targeting city-owned and operated information systems. But even more worrisome, as cities shift to cloud-based IT solutions for everyday tools and integrate “smart” capabilities into IIJA-funded infrastructure systems, software supply chains are becoming increasingly complex. Critical information systems used by cities often depend on integrations with third-party components and services whose risks are poorly understood.
Grant Application Strategies for Capacity Constrained Communities
In this session, Michelle Thomas and Jennifer Cecil of Thomas Consulting Group shared strategies for how cities and towns can overcome capacity constraints, and make their Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act grant applications more competitive. Michael Close, Transportation Policy Analyst for the ROUTES Initiative from the US Department Transportation, also shared resources that the DOT is doing to help capacity constrained communities and previewed how the DOT dashboard works.
Putting ARPA Funds Into Action
The Federal Assistance e311 Program hosted a moderated discussion on obligating and spending SLFRF funds strategically and expeditiously. While SLFRF funds were not affected by the debt ceiling agreement, cities have strategic interests in obligating and spending the awarded funds quickly. Yet, many cities have not been able to spend much of their federal funds so far. As cities navigate the many challenges of accessing and spending federal funding, our experts from Hagerty Consulting and Witt O’Brien’s shared best practices and answered questions about promptly and strategically using federal funds.
Revisiting Federal Funding Oversight
Federal officials discussed their oversight to date of the pandemic relief programs and spending. Chair of PRAC and representatives from Treasury and HUD OIGs shared lessons learned, trends and case studies. Cities learned from federal oversight auditors and investigators what to look out for as they manage their federally funded grants, programs and resources.
Cybersecurity Funding and Solutions
Experts from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Ernst & Young, and the Global Cyber Alliance will discuss cybersecurity funding available through the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The webinar provided participants with an understanding of (1) how to access funding opportunities, the application process, and methods to optimize funding; and (2) cybersecurity risks and tools, including best practices, that cities can use to build up their defenses and mitigate risk.
Navigating Federal Grants: Building Community Capacity
Our expert partners at Hagerty and Witt O’Brien’s provided an overview of grants management models for building internal capacity, and shared strategies and opportunities for building community capacity to deliver powerful outcomes.
ARPA Project & Expenditure Reporting
Cities continue to tackle questions about the parameters of Project and Expenditure (P&E) Reports required by the Treasury. To inform upcoming P&E reporting cycles, experts from Witt O’Brien’s shared lessons from P&E reporting to date and help position cities for successful reporting moving forward.
Preventing Fraud, Waste and Abuse
As cities take measures to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse of federal funds, our expert partners at Probity New York and EY shared innovative strategies and best practices, including Integrity Monitorship Programs, which leverage third-party experts to help cities oversee projects that rely on federal funds.
Navigating Federal Grants: Building Capacity, Writing Skills, & Strategies for Municipalities
With myriad competitive grant opportunities from federal, state, and private sources, cities are working hard to establish the capacity, knowledge, and systems to successfully apply and secure funding. Our expert partners at Hagerty Consulting and Witt O'Brien's discussed how cities can build internal capacity to support grant writing and management, and share strategies for cities to become grant ready.
Strategies to Boost Municipal Workforce Capacity.
Resilience and Mitigation Planning for Municipalities.
Access the Presentation | Access an Overview of Mitigation and Resilience Federal Funding Opportunities | Access the Recording
Strategies for Selecting Community Partners to Receive ARP Funds.
Compliance and reporting requirements for recipients of federal funds, particularly State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.
The workshop featured several Inspectors General from federal agencies discussing common pitfalls and good practices for audit submissions and preventing fraud, waste and abuse. Panelists included representatives from the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Treasury.
Leveraging Multiple Federal Funding Sources for COVID Response and Recovery: When/what funds to use.
This workshop featured panels on funding available for two key topics: (1) health and well-being in schools and (2) water infrastructure projects and water affordability programs. Panelists included representation from the Department of Education, FEMA, CDC, EPA, Treasury, USDA, and ACF HHS.
Emergency Rental Assistance Program Workshop
During a recent workshop event, our experts discussed best practices for efficiently delivering rental assistance to residents in accordance with the Treasury Department’s guidance. Participants learned innovative approaches to rental assistance from city leaders in Philadelphia, Newark, and Minneapolis.
Strengthening partnerships with nongovernmental stakeholders for effective and efficient disbursement of federal funds
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