We see it all the time: plenty of work, not enough funding. This is an unfortunate predicament for many of our clients, however, it shouldn’t stop them from pursuing work that’s necessary for their communities. Our commitment to helping our clients find available funding is something we’ve worked towards for many years, and along the way we’ve significantly diversified our abilities. The drive to find funding sources is based on our client’s needs. Here in Florida, many of these clients are small towns and municipalities that rely on our ability to find and procure grant funding, both from private and public sources.
Grants for Multiple Purposes
Because our portfolio of clients spans an extensive spectrum of markets, we’ve pursued funding for many types of site/civil projects, including transportation, recreational areas, and boat launch facilities. These could be large-scale projects like resurfacing, widening and paving of roads, rehabilitation of existing utility lines, and service area expansions, or smaller projects like repairing sidewalks or bike paths. Having worked on so many types of projects, we’ve spent numerous hours researching funding options and applying for applicable grants. A few of the grants that we encounter time and time again in this area include the Small County Outreach Program (SCOP), Small County Road Assistance Program (SCRAP), County Incentive Grant Program (CIGP), Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), and Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program (FRDAP). These are just a few of the more than 50 grants we apply for on a rotational basis depending on the project.
While many of these projects are public, we also work with a number of private clients each year. Recently, we procured funding for a developer who needed to turn a greenfield site into a useable piece of property for a semi-truck sales and service center. Ultimately, the greenfield site–named for its lack of utilities and inaccessible roadways–would need to be developed so the owner could build-out the rest of the project. With funding from a public grant, we were able to acquire right-of-way to build a road and extend water, sewer, and utilities to the property. So while the project itself was public, the end-user was ultimately a private client.
One Stop Shop
Finding appropriate funding for municipal and county projects is an intricate art. It goes beyond simply seeking out a grant and applying for it. Because of our expertise in these local communities, we’re intricately familiar with permitting processes and regulations of many kinds. After grant funding has been procured, we as the engineers are able to develop a conceptual plan and scope of work because of our familiarity with local regulations.
Future Possibilities
As funding sources change year-to-year, we’re committed to helping our clients procure the finances they need to improve their communities. I imagine grant opportunities will continue to expand in the years to come, which will only open more doors for our clients and the areas in which they live.
About the Author
