MRCTI Infrastructure Facility
The MRCTI Infrastructure Facility (Facility) provides a suite of high-level expertise, consulting, and financial resources to member communities of the Mississippi Cities & Towns Initiative.
The Facility is a consultive body of experts and organizations assembled by MRCTI from both the Corporate Advisory Board and other existing partnerships. The Facility is designed to provide our cities additional capacity to credibly and competitively apply for Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) grants over the next several funding cycles.
The Facility is not intended to complete Jobs Act grant applications but provide even greater value by advising MRCTI cities on their overall Jobs Act competitive strategy and developing capacities critical to Jobs Act mandates.
How does the Facility work?
All MRCTI dues-paying member cities are eligible to participate in the facility completely free of charge. Eligible cities can engage the Facility by:
attending and interacting in the high-level regional Jobs Act strategy sessions offered for the upper, middle, and lower river regions; and/or
completing the inquiry form below for deeper-dive services.
The three high-level Jobs Act strategy sessions are organized into the following state divisions:
Upper River—MN, WI, IA
Middle River—MO, IL, KY
Lower River—TN, AR, MS, LA
What does the Facility provide?
The Facility provides eligible cities a suite of high-level expertise, consulting, and financial resources that is already robust and unique to MRCTI at the time of launch. However, additional partners and capacities will be added to the Facility over the life of the life of the Jobs Act.
The following competencies are currently available through the Facility to help our cities:
Assemble an overall IIJA strategy
Organize/assess data and science
Prioritize projects most suited to the IIJA
Assemble a financial plan for IIJA projects
Develop a resilience, climate, mitigation strategy
Develop an environmental justice platform
Develop and position projects for the IIJA
Deep-dive assistance with resilience, FEMA, water infrastructure, transportation infrastructure, broadband deployment, improved city services
What can my city do to position for IIJA opportunities?
Communities need to examine the IIJA, assess needs, and formulate a strategy to compete where there are the best chances to secure funds from the over thirty different accounts funded through the infrastructure package. The MRCTI Infrastructure Facility can help with all of these steps.
It is recommended MRCTI cities form their own internal task force of city staff, elected officials, and critical community stakeholders whose expertise intersect with environmental justice, rail, roads, bridges, broadband, energy, water, land management, ports, and/or ecological restoration. The IIJA is a five-year bill, plan for the long-haul. An internal IIJA task force for your city can help make the most of the Facility as well.
What should my city process look like?
The below timeline image illustrates a possible a series of steps through which an MRCTI city can plan to engage the IIJA. The Jobs Act is comprised of more than 30 programs.
These programs were opened by their parent federal agency beginning in 2022 and continue to operate in 2024.
Most programs are competitive and most will have at least a couple of funding cycles available during the next three years. So, even if your city is unsuccessful in securing funds in one cycle, there will be another opportunity.
